New Beginnings
by Hayley87
Summary: After the events of the Triwizard Tournament, Dumbledore feels that Harry is no longer safe at the Dursleys. He decides to take Harry in for the summer and help with Harry's depression.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The lovely Mrs. JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. Although, don't we all wish that we did?

Summary: After the events of the Triwizard Tournament, Dumbledore feels that Harry is no longer safe at the Dursleys. He decides to take Harry in for the summer and also help him deal with his depression.

A/N: This is the first fan fiction that I have ever written, so please be gentle with me. I will accept any constructive criticisms that you have for my story. I would also like to hear what you liked about it, if anything. Thank you, guys.

It was almost time for the summer vacation to start. Harry was dreading returning to the Dursley's house even more than he had in the past few years. He was starting to feel depressed and guilty because of Cedric's death. All Harry wanted at the moment was to be left alone, but every time he would find somewhere to be by himself, someone would show up and interrupt his solitude. Their eyes showed concern and love; however, Harry felt that he might just explode if they wouldn't stop with their pity.

Harry was having a hard time eating and sleeping since the Triwizard Tournament had ended. Whenever he would go to sleep, he would see Pettigrew murder Cedric, Voldemort's rebirth, and his parents coming out of the wand. Harry kept telling himself that he should have refused to be in the Tournament. If he hadn't participated, Voldemort wouldn't have turned the Cup into a portkey. Harry also felt that he shouldn't have asked Cedric to take the Cup with him. These thoughts kept torturing Harry's mind throughout the day. Not only was he losing weight and gaining circles under his eyes, but he was also having trouble concentrating in class. His teachers understood and gave him some leeway. Even Snape's comments seemed half-hearted and less scathing.

One night Harry couldn't take it anymore. He waited until all of his roommates' loud snores filled the dorm, and then he quickly grabbed his Invisibility Cloak and threw it over his body. He silently crept down the staircase and into the Common Room. As he passed the fireplace, he gave it a morose look. Harry remembered his chats with Sirius via the fireplace, and he wished that Sirius hadn't had to leave Hogwarts so soon after the Third Task. He had wanted to talk with his godfather some more, but Sirius was going to be busy this summer working on a task for Dumbledore. Harry felt a little pang of anger towards the Headmaster for taking his godfather away from him at the time that he needed Sirius the most.

Harry suddenly gave his head a shake in order to clear his thoughts and focus his attention. He went to the portrait hole, opened it, and slid outside. Letting his feet guide him, Harry finally found himself beside the lake. He took the cloak off and lay spread-eagled on a cool rock by the shore. The soft breeze tickled his skin and the trees swayed gently in the wind. The clear night sky offered him a magnificent view of the sparkling constellations and the bright, round moon. Harry found himself at more peace than he had all week as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Harry slowly felt himself becoming more conscious and aware of his surroundings. He kept his eyes shut, not wanting to fully wake up yet and have to face another day. As he reached out with his senses, he realized that he felt strong arms carrying him tenderly and cradling him against a broad chest.

'What's going on?' he wondered to himself. 'The last thing that I remember is… the lake! I didn't mean to fall asleep there. I just wanted to rest for a little while. Who is carrying me?'

While Harry's thoughts kept running through his head, he didn't realize that they had reached their destination. He felt himself being carefully lowered onto a soft, comfortable bed and the covers lovingly tucked around him. Harry hadn't noticed until that moment just how tired he still was. He struggled to open his eyelids in order to discover who his mystery helper was, but his eyes wouldn't cooperate with him. Someone slowly and lightly ran their hand over his head and through his messy hair. He heard a song being quietly hummed in the background. Harry felt his body beginning to relax, and he gave a small sigh of content. Before he drifted back off to sleep, he thought that he felt someone place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

* * *

Harry gradually opened his eyes and peered around the strange room. Bright sunlight filtered in through the large window opposite the four poster bed that he reclined in. The walls were decorated in midnight blue, and the bed covers were done in cream. A bookcase crammed full of books lined one wall. A desk and chair filled a corner of the room, and a dresser took up another. There were two doors leading away from the room: one Harry figured went into a bathroom. He finally spotted some clean clothes perched neatly at the end of the bed. Confused, Harry got up and pulled the clothes on. Once he was fully dressed, he wandered over to one of the doors and pulled it open. He found himself walking into Dumbledore's office, and the man was currently working behind his desk. The Headmaster quickly glanced up when he heard the door creak open. He flashed Harry a bright smile and gestured for Harry to take the seat opposite his desk.

"Hello, Harry. I hope that you had a nice rest. There are a lot of things that I wish to discuss with you this morning."

"Good morning, sir. Why am I here?" Harry questioned. His face turned a little bit red once he realized that the Headmaster must have been the one to carry him last night.

"Well, Harry, I found you asleep beside the lake this morning at 3:00 am. I would have woken you up and taken you to Gryffindor Tower, but I knew that you haven't been sleeping well. I decided to let you stay in my guest chambers for the night," Dumbledore said looking sadly over his glasses at Harry.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep at the lake, sir. I just needed to get away for a little while to think…" Harry broke off starting to feel a little choked up. He glanced away from the Headmaster's piercing gaze. He didn't want to show any weaknesses to anyone.

"That's alright, Harry. I know that you've been having a difficult time. I was actually going to call you up to my office today to speak with you anyway. You will not be staying at your relatives this summer. It is my belief that because Voldemort now has your blood, he could go around the wards placed on 4 Privet Drive. I do not think that you would be safe there anymore."

"Will I be able to stay with the Weasleys?" Harry asked hopefully, his depression lifting for a moment.

"No. I'm sorry, but security is not very strong at their house. Also, Voldemort is aware that you are friends with the Weasleys. That would be one of the first places that he would look for you," Dumbledore answered without a twinkle in his eyes.

"But where will I go?" Harry quietly asked. He sank back into the chair cushions feeling weary once more.

"You will be staying with me at my summer home. The only one that knows how to get to my house is Severus, and he will only come to inform me about Death Eater meetings. I must ask though that you do not inform Ron and Hermione about where you will be staying for the summer. I have already written your aunt and uncle concerning your summer arrangements. When the train departs tomorrow, you will stay here until we leave for my house. If anyone asks why you will not be on the train, just tell them that the train isn't safe enough transportation, and you will be going to your relatives' house in another manner."

"Why can't I tell Ron and Hermione? They won't tell anyone where I am if you don't want them to. I don't want to lie to them," Harry stated feeling distressed.

"I know that, Harry, but there are ways to force people to give information. If they aren't aware that you haven't left the Dursleys, then they can't tell anyone anything: willingly or otherwise. Also…" Dumbledore paused for a moment aware that Harry wasn't going to like what he had to say next. "You won't be able to write to them for at least a couple of weeks at the beginning of this summer…"

Harry jumped out of his chair and interrupted him once he said that. "What! You made Sirius leave me in order to go on some mission, and now I won't be able to talk to my friends. Why?"

"I'm really very sorry, Harry. I fear that Voldemort could be staking out your friends' houses. If you owled your friends, he could intercept the owl. You will be able to talk with them soon. I promise."

"Fine," Harry said through gritted teeth. "Since I have no choice, I will tell them whatever you want. See you tomorrow."

Harry leaped out of the chair, threw open the door, and stormed down the stairs. Dumbledore sat there a few moments longer with his face in his hands.

'That could have gone better,'hethought.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The whole Harry Potter universe was created by JK Rowling. I'm just borrowing her characters for my own entertainment.

A/N: I just wanted to take the time to thank the people who reviewed the first chapter of my story. The reviews made me really happy. Now, I'll answer some questions that you guys had.

Jinxeh: No, this story will not have any slash in it. I don't really like to read slash either.

Black's Phoenix: I hadn't planned on putting Cho in this story. The story will mainly take place during the summer after Harry's fourth year and will concentrate a lot on the relationship between Harry and Dumbledore.

Dragonero: Yes, Snape will make several appearances in this story. Will Dumbledore be able to help Harry? You will just have to read on to see.

I also want to thank Shaw18 and emma for their reviews. Now, on with the story.

* * *

Harry stomped angrily through the hallways ignoring the strange looks that the other students were throwing him. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave the Dursleys for the summer. He just wished that he could have had some say in the matter. He also didn't want to have to lie to his friends. He briefly thought about disobeying Dumbledore, but he quickly put that idea out of his head. The Headmaster knew a lot about what went on in the school. Dumbledore would not be pleased with him if he found out that Harry had blatantly gone against his orders.

Finally reaching the Great Hall, Harry spotted his friends already eating breakfast. He walked slowly over to where they were sitting and started to place a small portion of food onto his own plate.

"Hey, Harry," Ron said. "Where were you this morning? You usually aren't up this early."

A couple of other Gryffindors looked over at Harry once they heard Ron's comment. Harry was grateful for their curiosity and Ron's loud voice because this way he wouldn't have to tell the story too many more times. Once they heard what he had to say, word would spread quickly throughout the other Houses.

"I had a visit with the Headmaster. He wanted to tell me that I wouldn't be riding the Hogwarts Express home tomorrow because of security reasons. I will be staying here for a little while after you guys leave, and then I will take alternate transportation," Harry answered. He left out the fact that he had fallen asleep outside only to wake up in the Headmaster's quarters this morning. Not only was it embarrassing, but his friends were already worried enough about him as it was.

"Does he think that You-Know-Who is going to attack the train?" Hermione asked, her eyes growing wide at that thought. Conversation around the trio had suddenly quieted down in order to hear what Harry was going to say. Harry grew nervous because of the focused attention that he was now receiving.

'Bloody hell, Dumbledore. Why are you putting me in this position? Now the whole school is going to have a panic attack and expect to see Voldemort popping up everywhere. Couldn't you have come up with a better excuse?' Harry thought while looking up at the Headmaster's empty chair and throwing it a dirty look.

"Dumbledore is just being a little paranoid, guys. You don't need to be worried about Voldemort attacking tomorrow," Harry said ignoring the flinching that occurred after hearing Voldemort's name. "Everyone is always a bit overprotective when it comes to me." Harry forced out a small laugh.

Some people still looked a bit nervous, but conversation gradually resumed. Ron and Hermione looked like they wanted to keep asking Harry questions about Voldemort and the train ride, but they let it drop.

"Since you talked to Professor Dumbledore this morning, do you know if you will be able to stay at my house any this summer?" Ron asked while stuffing his face with eggs and bacon.

"I don't think that I will be able to, sorry. It's just that _Dumbledore_," Harry spat out, "seems to think that it would be prudent that I don't."

"Harry!" Hermione admonished. "You need to show the Headmaster some respect. He is only looking out for your well being. You can still write to us, and he may even change his mind before the summer is over."

"Well, we can't write to each other for at least two weeks -once again, safety precautions- but I will send you a letter as soon as my warden gives me the okay," Harry said not paying any attention to Hermione's reprimand.

Ron choked on his pumpkin juice when he heard Harry's flippant remark, and Hermione had to give him a slap on the back. Some of the other students were beginning to look back over at the commotion that the trio was causing, but Harry waved them off and told them that Ron had just drank his juice too fast.

"Harry, I know that you are taking Cedric's death hard, but…"

"Stop, Hermione. I don't want to talk about it. Look, I'm sorry for what I said. I gotta go." Harry promptly stood up and rushed out of the Great Hall. Hermione and Ron just sat there staring wide eyed after their friend.

Harry wandered aimlessly around before his first class started. A small feeling of guilt began to creep into his heart because of the way he had treated Professor Dumbledore and his friends. He knew he shouldn't have walked away from his friends so abruptly or talked that way about the Headmaster, but he was feeling so frustrated.

Harry gave a loud sigh and ran his hand distractedly through his hair. Hearing a drawling voice behind him, he slowly turned around. Malfoy swaggered up to him without his goons in sight.

"I heard, Potter, that you are afraid of riding the train tomorrow. Of course famous Harry Potter would be allowed special privileges concerning his transportation while everyone else has to ride the Hogwarts Express. What's the matter, Potter? Afraid that you might get attacked tomorrow?" Malfoy sneered.

"I'm not scared of your future master, Malfoy. For your information, I saw the Death Eaters, including your father, bowing down to him like idiots and kissing his robes like slaves. They begged him for forgiveness for abandoning him, but he will always remember and won't hesitate to seek retribution later. Between them and me, who acts more frightened?" Harry retorted.

Malfoy's face paled during Harry's tirade, and his eyes narrowed into slits. A scowl replaced the smirk that Malfoy had worn earlier. Before he could respond, however, kids began to fill the halls on their way to class. Malfoy and Harry stared at one another for a few seconds longer in silence.

"You can't run from the Dark Lord forever, Potter. He will find you," Malfoy said before blending in with the crowd.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't have much time to talk throughout the day, but they cornered Harry in the Common Room once dinner ended. They had been shooting him concerned glances during class; however, Harry would just meet their gaze and give a small smile. He didn't want them to leave each other tomorrow without resolving some of their problems.

"Harry, would you like to talk some more about this morning?" Hermione asked a bit timidly. She didn't want him to run off again if he wasn't comfortable with sharing his troubles.

"I really am sorry for what happened this morning. I was just a little bit overwhelmed with all that's been going on. I wasn't too happy with all of the restrictions that Professor Dumbledore put on me, but I guess that I'll get over it," Harry replied.

"That's okay, mate. We're not blaming you. I bet the Dursleys will be glad that you won't be owling us for a little while," Ron said trying to lighten up the mood.

"Yeah," Harry mumbled looking away from his friends' eyes. "You better go pack soon if you don't want to be rushed in the morning."

"You're right, Harry. Just know that Ron and I will always be here for you if you need us. We care about you," Hermione said as she bent down and gave Harry a quick peck on the cheek. She and Ron left Harry sitting alone in the empty Common Room.

Harry lay back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling lost in thought. He hoped that he wasn't just going to be locked up in Dumbledore's house all summer. He knew that the Headmaster at least cared for him, unlike his relatives, but he still wanted to have some freedom. He felt so confused in his feelings towards Dumbledore. The man infuriated him sometimes, but Harry had felt so loved and happy when the Headmaster had taken care of him in the night. No one had ever really done anything like that for him. Mrs. Weasley had given him a hug a few days ago, but she already had seven children. He knew that she considered him as one of her own sons; however, it had just felt different when Dumbledore had carried him and tucked him in.

Harry decided that he would try to work through his feelings about the Headmaster later. It had already been a long day. He wanted to get up and fall asleep in his own bed, but he was too exhausted to move. The fire warmed his body and made him feel even more drowsy. His eyelids bounced up and down a few times as he strived to stay awake.

'Why can't I fall asleep in my own bed anymore?' Harry thought as his eyes finally drifted closed.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world was created by JK Rowling.

A/N: Every time I check my e-mail and see those reviews, it makes me very happy. Please keep it up. I will try to update as often as I can, but college keeps me pretty busy. I know all of the major things that are going to happen in this story, but it's the smaller details that I'll have to work on. I've already started typing chapter four, so it should be out pretty soon.

Anya: Thank you for the compliments and for taking the time to send me an e-mail.

Black's Phoenix: I'm not sure what fics I may do in the future, but thank you for your input.

nishrin: Well, Dumbledore isn't as feeble as you would think. Plus, Harry has been having trouble eating lately, so he has lost a little bit of weight. He was already skinny before this anyway.

saiyanwizardgurl: Thank you for reviewing both of my first two chapters and for the compliments.

I also want to thank Rettz and Riker15 for their reviews.

* * *

Harry found himself once again wandering through the graveyard. The area seemed to be deserted, but Harry knew that it wouldn't stay that way for long. Suddenly, a dense fog began to roll towards him. He started to panic and turn wildly about searching for anyone hidden in the vast whiteness. He could hear people's voices murmuring in the background, but he could not make out what was being said. A figure slowly emerged from the fog and made its way closer to Harry. As features of the person began to take shape, Harry was able to tell who was standing before him.

"Harry, I trusted you. You weren't even supposed to be in this Tournament. If it wasn't for you, I would have lived," Cedric accused Harry while jabbing his finger into Harry's chest. Cedric's eyes were blank, and his face was devoid of color.

Harry stared horrified at him, but he made no move to stop Cedric from speaking or touching him. Cedric's words stung Harry every time he blamed him for his death, but Harry felt like he deserved it, in a way.

Two burning red eyes glowed in the fog, and a voice spoke those two words which Harry despised.

"Avada Kedavra," the voice hissed.

As the green light hurtled towards Cedric, those red eyes vanished back into the fog. Harry wanted to save Cedric, but his feet seemed to be glued to the ground. He could only watch helplessly as the green light rammed into Cedric once again, and Cedric's body fell to the ground. Harry was finally able to surge forward; however, the body disappeared before Harry could reach it. He knelt down onto the grass where Cedric had lain. His fingertips trembled as he ran them lightly over the ground.

"Look what you've done, Harry! Cedric was always nice to you. He even gave you a hint about the golden egg, and this is how you repay him. I don't even want to know what you would do to those that you consider your close friends," a voice exclaimed from behind Harry.

Harry's head had bowed once the speech had begun, and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut. A tear flowed slowly down his cheek as he took a deep, shaky breath. His eyes opened apprehensively while he turned around to face Ron. He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat once he caught sight of Hermione standing next to Ron. Ron's face had brightened to a dark red, and a scowl transformed his features. Hermione didn't say a word; she only stared at Harry with a sad, disappointed look on her face while shaking her head back and forth. Harry preferred having Ron rant and rave at him compared to Hermione's silent treatment.

Before Harry could say anything to his two friends, the Killing Curse was spoken twice more. That eerie green light sped towards the group, striking Ron and Hermione within a matter of seconds. A sob escaped Harry's throat as his friends met the same fate as Cedric. Harry was soon left alone in the graveyard waiting to see if anyone else's life would be ruined because of him.

* * *

Harry leapt up from his reclining position on the coach. He stifled the scream that threatened to escape his throat and wake up the rest of the Tower. His heart was racing madly in his chest, and he was in danger of hyperventilating. Once Harry realized that it had only been a dream, he began to slowly calm down. He glanced over at the clock resting on the mantle above the fireplace. It was only 6:30 a.m. The rest of Gryffindor Tower probably wouldn't be up for at least another hour.

Harry didn't know why Ron and Hermione had been in his dream or why they had been accusing him of murder. He knew that they didn't blame him for it. Since the end of the Tournament, Ron and Hermione had repeatedly tried to stop him from feeling guilty. They had stood by him for four years, and he hoped that they would still be there for him as they all got older.

As Harry continued to sit deep in thought, voices began to drift down the stairs. He looked up startled once he realized that an hour had quickly gone by without him even noticing. His friends walked over to him, and the trio made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry caught Dumbledore's eyes as he started to sit down to eat. The Headmaster had a sad look on his face while he stared over at Harry. Harry remembered what he had said and done to the Headmaster the day before, and he regretted it. He promised himself that he would apologize later when he got the chance. Harry flashed Dumbledore a small smile before turning back to his friends.

"Were you up early again this morning, Harry, or did you fall asleep on the couch last night? I don't remember hearing you come upstairs," Ron said.

"Both, actually. I didn't intend to fall asleep on the couch, but I guess I was more tired than I realized," Harry replied. Even though Harry didn't mention his nightmare, Ron and Hermione shared a knowing look with each other. Harry had been having bad dreams on and off since the Third Task, and Ron had to wake Harry up a couple of times from them.

"Did you finish packing last night?" Harry asked them trying to turn the topic on to something a little more safe than his sleeping habits.

"Yes, but it almost didn't all fit," Hermione said exasperated. "I don't know how, but I have amassed several more possessions since the year started. I had to rearrange everything a few times in order to get all of my books in." Ron and Harry both laughed after that statement.

The trio talked about random topics until students began to drift out of the Great Hall and head towards the carriages that would take them to the train. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked sadly at each other for a few more moments.

"I guess that we will have to say our good byes now," Hermione said reluctantly.

"Yeah. I wish that it didn't have to be this way," Harry answered wistfully.

"Write to me the second that Professor Dumbledore gives you permission," Hermione said as she pulled Harry into a quick, friendly hug.

Once Hermione stepped back, Ron clapped Harry on the shoulder. "If the Headmaster should change his mind, you are always welcome at our house. Good luck with the Durseys."

"Thanks, guys. I'll talk to you later. You better go before the carriages leave without you. Say hi to your mom for me, Ron," Harry replied. He stood watching his friends as they disappeared out the front door of the castle. Harry turned around when he heard Dumbledore approaching him.

"Let's go up to my office, Harry. Your trunk is already waiting for us there. We will Floo over to my house and then get you settled in," Dumbledore said.

"Sir, about yesterday morning, I just wanted to apologize for my behavior…" Dumbledore cut Harry off before he could finish his sentence.

"You don't have to apologize, Harry. I understand the difficulties that you are going through. I want to be there for you this summer and help you with any problems that you have. Please come to me for anything," the Headmaster asserted giving Harry a warm smile.

The rest of the trip up to Dumbledore's office was spent in a comfortable silence which neither person wanted to break. Once they entered the office, Dumbledore began gathering some last minute items to take with them. Harry wandered over to Fawkes's perch and started to pet the phoenix. Fawkes greeted Harry with a soft trill as he closed his eyes and rubbed his head against Harry's hand.

"Is Fawkes coming with us?" Harry asked.

"Fawkes is a very independent phoenix. He will come to my house whenever he feels like it. Sometimes he is there just for the company, but he also knows when he is needed. Fawkes really likes you, Harry. He may stay around the house for a little while longer this summer." Dumbledore gazed fondly at Harry and Fawkes for a brief moment.

"Harry, I will let you use the Floo first. Once you throw down the powder, you will say _Albus's Sanctuary-Fizzing Whizbees_. Fizzing Whizbees is the password. The password changes every couple of days for security measures. You must have the password in order to get into the house," Dumbledore cautioned.

"You know, you shouldn't use candy for all of your passwords. It makes you too predictable," Harry responded, a grin lighting up his face.

Dumbledore gave Harry a quick wink. "I'll keep that in mind next time. Now, grab your trunk and carry it with you into the fireplace. Here's your Floo powder. I'll be right behind you."

Harry took a deep breath. Traveling by Floo wasn't one of his favorite means of transportation, but he guessed that it would have to do. He took one last look at the Headmaster's office before he threw down the powder and shouted out his destination. He felt himself quickly spinning away through the fireplace. Before he knew it, he was stumbling out of the fire and trying to stay upright. Harry didn't get much of a chance to look around the house before the Headmaster arrived.

"Welcome home, Harry."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The talented JK Rowling created the HP world. I am just a mere obsessed fan.

A/N: I hope that everyone is enjoying reading the story as much as I am enjoying writing it. A special thank you to all of my reviewers: Dumbledore13, Black's Phoenix, Shaw18, Strider, shannyauburn, nicky12330.

Sweets2: Your questions about Sirius are answered in this chapter.

saiyanwizardgurl: Your question about Dumbledore's house is answered in this chapter.

stranger you don't know: This story won't have any romance in it. I don't think that I would be very good at writing romance.

ERMonkey Burner of Cookies: The prophecy won't be mentioned in this story. And since when has Harry ever stayed out of trouble?

* * *

Since they had arrived in the living room, Harry examined it first. The walls were painted in a dark, forest green. A soft, comfortable couch sat in the room, and two matching chairs stood opposite it. The fireplace was made of a black marble, and a fluffy rug lay on the hardwood floor in front of it. Two tables, filled with many strange wizarding gadgets, were placed around the room. The living room seemed very cozy and inviting to Harry.

The next room that they entered was the kitchen. Cabinets ran all around the walls of the room. There was a refrigerator and freezer which Dumbledore said was charmed to keep the food cold and fresh. A small, round table sat on one side of the room. The kitchen countertops were very clean and shiny. An oven and stove were the only other appliances that Harry saw.

"I don't have a house-elf," Dumbledore said. "I do all of the cooking myself with magic. If I get really busy with work, however, you will have to fix yourself something to eat. Do you know how to cook?"

"Sure. I've been cooking for the Durselys ever since I was tall enough to see over the top of the stove," Harry replied nonchalantly.

A dark look passed over Dumbledore's face. His mouth turned down into a frown, and something flashed briefly through his eyes. The angry look on the Headmaster's face quickly disappeared. He tried to force a small smile before he spoke his next words.

"How about we finish going through the rest of the house?" Dumbledore asked.

"Alright," Harry answered while giving the Headmaster a strange look.

They entered the dining room next. It had an unused feel about it. A thin layer of dust coated the top of the table. There was room to seat eight people comfortably. An elaborate chandelier, dull from the years, hung from the ceiling. Even with the lights on, the room still appeared dark.

"I used to have some of my friends and family over for dinner many years ago. We would eat in here. They have all passed on since then, so I haven't bothered to keep the room as neat and tidy as the rest of the house," Dumbledore said to Harry's unasked question. "Whenever you and I will eat together, we will do so in the kitchen. I prefer it that way. It's more pleasant."

They walked out of the dining room, down the hallway, and entered the Headmaster's office. Bookshelves, which were overflowing with books, covered the four walls from top to bottom. A large desk sat in the center of the room with parchment littered on its surface. There was a cushioned chair facing the desk. Looking around the room, Harry was reminded of the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts.

'Hermione would be so jealous if she knew that I had access to all of these books for the summer,' Harry thought while inwardly smirking.

"My office is open to you at any time, Harry. You can borrow any books that you would like to read. I may even have some of the school books that you will need for next year. If you ever want to talk, I will make time for you. Don't worry about bothering me," Dumbledore said seriously.

Harry nodded, although inside himself he wasn't too sure about accepting the open invitation to talk. Some part of him felt glad that Dumbledore would be there for him, but another part of him felt guilty for taking up the man's time. He definitely knew that it wasn't part of the Headmaster's job description to take care of students during the summer. He didn't want to be a burden.

Dumbledore must have sensed some of Harry's hesitancy. He gave a loud sigh before putting both of his hands on Harry's shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes.

"Harry, listen closely to what I am about to say." Dumbledore paused in order to determine if he had Harry's full attention or not. "You will never be a burden to me. I enjoy talking to you and spending time with you. You can come to me if you are having a problem with homework, if you have a nightmare, or if you are just lonely. It will be nice having another person living here with me for the summer. I like having company."

Harry began to nod again, but he stopped when he realized that the Headmaster was waiting for him to actually say something.

"I'll try, sir. It's just that I'm not used to talking about my problems or having someone to go to. The Dursleys always preferred it when I was out of their sight."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed, and he gritted his teeth after hearing Harry's last statement. The grip that he had on Harry's shoulders tightened a little bit, and Harry wondered if it had been wise to bring the topic of the Dursleys up.

"You should never have had to live with the Dursleys. They were never adequate guardians, and I wish that I had done something about it before now. I'm sorry that all of this happened. You will never have to go back to the Dursleys again. I promise. I will take care of you now."

Harry felt his breath hitch a bit in his chest. He knew that it wasn't safe for him to stay with the Dursleys anymore, but he had never really thought about where he would stay after this summer. He was grateful that the Headmaster had put some thought into his future and wasn't just taking him in because it was convenient. It felt nice to be wanted by someone instead of being pushed away.

Harry felt his eyes starting to tear up, so he looked away from the Headmaster's kind gaze. He tried to rapidly blink away the tears without looking too obvious. Dumbledore seemed to understand Harry's predicament because he gave Harry a gentle squeeze on his shoulders before speaking.

"We still have a couple more rooms to go through before our tour of the house is finished. When we're done, you will have some free time to unpack before lunch," Dumbledore said.

The next room that they entered was the Headmaster's bedroom. There was a big king-sized bed covered in elegant, sapphire sheets. There was an attached bathroom and walk-in closet. A mahogany dresser stood against one wall, and a bookcase took up the opposite wall. Around the room, a couple wizarding photos moved about their picture frames. Harry and Dumbledore took a quick look around the room before heading to their last stop.

"Here is your bedroom, Harry," Dumbledore said as he opened the last room in the house.

Harry looked around the room in amazement. Everything looked perfect to him. The huge bed had rich, red and gold sheets on top of it. Harry's feet sank into the thick, white carpet on the floor. There was a writing desk on one side of the room. Various quidditch posters adorned the walls with the characters zooming across the picture. The bedroom also had its own bathroom and closet connected to it. Harry took a quick peek into the bathroom. There was a big, marble tub with several faucets attached to the rim. A large mirror was fastened to the wall above the vanity. There was a white porcelain toilet set into the corner of the room.

When Harry walked back into his bedroom, he noticed the big bay window with a red cushioned window seat. Bright sunlight beamed through the window and lit up the room. He went over to it and looked outside. There was a large backyard which would be perfect for flying on his broom. A dense forest loomed beyond the borders of the yard. When Harry turned back around to see the Headmaster, his face was glowing with happiness.

"Sir, I don't know what to say in order to thank you for what you have done. This is more than I expected," Harry exclaimed.

Dumbledore smiled broadly. "You are welcome, Harry. You deserve all of this. You can change the room however you like to suit your tastes. I wasn't sure what you would want, so I just decided to go for Gryffindor colors and Quidditch. I thought that that would be safe."

"The room is wonderful, Professor. I love it. When did you find the time to decorate it?"

"I've been going back and forth from Hogwarts to my house trying to get everything ready for you ever since I decided to take you in. It wasn't any trouble."

"Will I be able to go outside and fly my broom?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but I would like to know when you do. The house is in the middle of the woods, and the nearest town is several miles away. No one will bother us here, but I would still like to know where you are. I will have to leave the house every now and then in order to get food and do some work. Whenever I'm not here, you will have to stay inside."

After Harry gave his nod of affirmation, Dumbledore continued speaking.

"Before I forget, I have something for you," Dumbledore said while rummaging through his robes. He pulled out a small mirror and handed it to Harry. Harry gave the Headmaster a quizzical look.

"Sirius told me to pass it along to you. All that you have to do is look into the mirror and say his name. You will be able to see him and talk to him because Sirius has the other mirror. Keep it with you always. I will leave you alone now. You can unpack and talk to your godfather before we sit down for lunch. Just so you know, Sirius thought that you would be receiving this mirror before you left Hogwarts. He does not know that you have left the Dursleys, and I don't want you to mention it to him. He is working on a mission for me, and you never know who could be around him listening."

Harry didn't argue with the Headmaster; he was too excited at the prospect of being able to talk with his godfather. He gave Dumbledore a quick thank you before the Headmaster walked out of the room. Once Dumbledore was gone, Harry walked over to his bed, kicked off his shoes, and flung himself on top of the comforter. He lay back against the thick, fluffy pillows with a sigh and brought the mirror to his face.

"Sirius Black," Harry said anxiously.

Sirius's face filled the mirror after a few seconds. Harry and Sirius beamed at one another before they began to talk.

"Hi, Harry. I'm glad that you got my present. I didn't want to have to leave you so soon after the Triwizard Tournament; however, now we will be able to talk to each other face-to-face all summer."

"This mirror is brilliant, Sirius. Where did you get it, and how did you deliver it to Professor Dumbledore?"

"Your father and I would use them when we were in separate detentions at Hogwarts. I stopped by my old house before going on my mission. After I picked up some supplies, I went to Remus's house to stay for a few days. He told me that he would be going to Hogwarts before school let out and that he would bring it to you. He went to Hogwarts in order to find out if there were any missions that the Headmaster wanted him to go on."

"I didn't see Remus," Harry said disappointedly, "but Professor Dumbledore did give the mirror to me."

"I'm sure that Remus wanted to see you," Sirius said reassuringly. "He sounded excited about it when I last saw him. He may have visited Hogwarts while you were in class."

"How is your mission going? Can you tell me what you are doing?" Harry asked.

"I haven't done much yet, but it's going good so far. All I can tell you is that I'm rounding up people to help in the fight against Voldemort. They were people that fought him in the first war. Albus was the founder and leader of the group, and they were called the Order of the Phoenix. Before you ask, no, you can't join. You have to be out of Hogwarts."

"Sirius, I've missed you. I hope that we can see each other soon," Harry said.

"I've missed you too, but you will be able to talk to me whenever you feel like it. If I am in a situation where I can't talk, I can charm my mirror to heat up but not say my name. I will be aware that you want to talk to me, and I will get back to you as soon as I can. If you try to get a hold of me but I don't answer, wait. I have to continue traveling right now, but we will talk soon. Bye, Harry. Take care."

"Bye, Sirius. Be careful," Harry answered.

* * *

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. Harry and Dumbledore ate their meals together and made small talk. After they ate, they played a few games of wizard's chess, which Harry lost, and they both read. As it got closer and closer to bedtime, Harry's heart kept sinking. He dreaded going to sleep because he knew that he would have another nightmare, and he didn't want the Headmaster to find out. When the clock chimed eleven, Harry reluctantly bid Dumbledore good night and then went to his room.

Harry tried to stay awake, but his eyelids kept dropping closed. He knew that he couldn't stay up forever, but he wanted to postpone the nightmares as long as he could. At one o'clock in the morning, Harry realized that he couldn't make it anymore. He knew that it was time to face his doom. He allowed his eyes to drift shut.

His dream started the same way that it had the night before. He saw Cedric, Ron, and Hermione get murdered by the Killing Curse; however, his nightmare didn't stop there. Another figure walked towards Harry through the thick fog. Harry gasped when he saw who it was, and he started to shake his head while moaning.

"Harry, I'm so disappointed in you. I can't believe that I took you in for the summer. I didn't really want you, but you are the Boy-Who-Lived, and you must be kept safe. If I can come up with another solution to ensure your safety which doesn't involve me, rest assured I will take it," Dumbledore said. His eyes were cold like steel, and his face had a look of disgust on it. He started to walk away from Harry once he had finished speaking.

Harry stood frozen in shock. He could not believe what he had heard. The Headmaster had always been very kind to him. Tremors shook Harry's body, and tears silently flooded down his face.

"Please, Professor," Harry pleaded. "Don't leave me here alone."

The dream world started to fade, and Harry became aware of someone frantically calling his name. He could feel his shoulders being lightly shook. A hand was running through his hair trying to calm him down. Harry opened his eyes and spotted Dumbledore sitting next to him on the bed. Before Harry could even think about what he was doing, he threw himself against the Headmaster and clung to him. Arms wrapped around his body, and one hand rubbed circles onto his back.

Harry was beyond feeling embarrassed at this point; he just wanted to be comforted. His body shook with sobs, and tears soaked the front of the Headmaster's robes. Dumbledore murmured soothing words into Harry's ear, but Harry couldn't make out what was being said. They sat this way for about an hour before Harry's crying slowed down, and his sobs quieted.

Too exhausted to move, Harry fell back asleep in Dumbledore's arms. The Headmaster knew that Harry had fallen asleep, but he continued to rock him back and forth for a little while longer. After a several minutes had gone by, Dumbledore gently placed Harry back onto the bed and tucked the covers around him. He stood by the bed for a few more moments gazing sadly at Harry before he turned around and left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the Harry Potter universe.

A/N: Thanks to all of my reviewers- Danni, nicky12330, emma, sweets2, Dragon, sweet as lemonz, Dumbledore13, shannyauburn, Riker15, and Arica, Princess of Rivendell.

ERMonkey Burner of Cookies: The dreamless sleep potion is mentioned in this chapter. It will come up later as well.

saiyanwizardgurl: I know that Dumbledore isn't completely in character, but I wasn't really trying to accomplish that. Probably none of the characters in my story completely follow how they act in canon.

Rosaleen: I'm glad that you like the pace of the story. I will probably have to speed it up a little bit later, though, in order to fit everything in that I want to happen. I haven't decided yet.

* * *

When Harry woke up the next morning, it took him a moment to get oriented. His nightmare eventually came back to his mind, however, and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment when he realized that he had cried on the Headmaster afterwards. He knew that Dumbledore would want to talk about his dreams, but Harry wasn't sure if he could go through with it or not.

Harry slowly got out of bed and started putting his clothes on. He tried to draw out his morning rituals as long as he could, but he knew that he would have to face the Headmaster at some point. Once he had finished getting ready, he left his bedroom and walked into the kitchen. The table was already laden with eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. Dumbledore had been reading The Daily Prophet, but he looked up when he heard Harry enter the room.

"Good morning, Harry. Sit down and get something to eat," Dumbledore said.

Harry silently sat down and piled food on his plate. Harry didn't know how he should act around the Headmaster after the events of last night. Dumbledore went back to reading his paper and allowed Harry to sit quietly in his thoughts.

After breakfast was over, Dumbledore turned to Harry who was sitting at the table with his head bowed.

"Harry, please follow me to my office. We have some things that we need to discuss."

Harry reluctantly got out of his seat and trailed after the Headmaster. When they entered the office, Dumbledore conjured up another chair in front of his desk. They sat down facing each other in silence for a few moments.

"I would like for you to tell me about your nightmares," Dumbledore stated after awhile.

"Do I have to?" Harry sighed.

"I'm not going to force you, but I do think that it would benefit you to talk to someone. You can't keep your emotions bottled up forever. That will only hurt you in the long run. Ever since the Tournament ended, you have been having trouble sleeping. Anyone can see the circles under your eyes," Dumbledore said.

"What made you come into my room last night?" Harry asked.

"I woke up because I could hear a noise very faintly. I decided to go investigate it, so I went into your room. You were tossing about on your bed and moaning. Every now and then you would mumble something in your sleep. I thought that it would be best to try and wake you up. Did you have any more nightmares after I left?"

"No. I slept fine afterwards." Harry hesitated before continuing to speak. "Would it be possible for me to take some Dreamless Sleep potion?"

Harry looked down after he asked his question. His face was tinged a slight pink, and he was biting his lip. Dumbledore's eyes softened as he gazed upon Harry, and he placed his hand on Harry's knee.

"There is nothing to be embarrassed about. You have been through a traumatic experience. It is only natural that you would be having trouble sleeping. I don't have any sleeping potion, but Severus should be here in a few days. When he gets here, I can ask him to make you some. It won't be a permanent solution, however, because it can be addictive, and your body can become immune to it over time."

"Thank you, Professor. I just…" Harry stopped in order to swallow past the lump in his throat. "I just don't know how much more I can take."

"How often do you have the nightmares?" Dumbledore questioned.

"I've been having them on and off ever since the Third Task. They've been getting worse, though."

"In what way?"

"At first, they were just about Cedric dying, but now, other people are there," Harry whispered. "I've seen Ron and Hermione in my dreams. They accuse me of killing him right before they receive the Killing Curse as well."

Dumbledore wanted to go give Harry a hug and reassure him that everything was okay, but he was afraid that Harry would stop talking if he did. He decided to continue listening to whatever Harry wanted to tell him. It would make Harry feel better later if he got everything off of his chest now.

"Was that what happened in your dream last night?" the Headmaster asked. He could tell that Harry was still hiding something.

Harry sat silently for a few minutes with his head looking away from Dumbledore. When he finally turned his head back, his eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"It started out that way, but then it got worse. You were there. You said that you didn't want me, and the only reason you took me in was because there was no other option," Harry choked out.

Dumbledore couldn't stop himself from going over to Harry's chair, kneeling beside it, and pulling Harry into a hug. Harry's tears slid silently down his cheeks, but his body was shaking with suppressed sobs. They sat that way for several moments before Harry calmed down and pulled back slightly.

"Harry, I have never felt that way about you. I care about you and want to help you through your grief. I think that the reason your dreams are occurring this way is because your subconscious mind is playing out your deepest fears. You saw Cedric die, and now you are worried about your friends leaving you, or worse, being killed also. You heard me say those things in your dream because you are afraid of rejection from people close to you. Your nightmares will get better in time. I will do everything in my power to make you feel wanted and welcome."

"Thank you," Harry answered softly giving Dumbledore a small smile.

It had been painful for Harry to relive his nightmares, but he felt a kind of relief now that someone else knew what he went through. He felt like the burden on his shoulders had eased a little bit. Harry knew that his problems wouldn't go away that quickly, but he now had someone that he could go to.

"I'm glad that you decided to confide some of your secrets to me," Dumbledore said. "Know that I am proud of you. That took a lot of courage. You have always had to depend on yourself, but you aren't alone anymore."

The Headmaster stood up from his position on the floor before he continued speaking. "Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, why don't you go flying before lunch? I have some work to do, but you can come in here if you need me."

Harry locked eyes with Dumbledore and nodded in agreement. After gazing at each other in silence for a few seconds, Harry stood up and headed towards his room to get his Firebolt.

* * *

Harry flew for most of the morning and afternoon. That night he and Dumbledore sat in the living room talking to each other. They both sat on the couch drinking from mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows.

"Tomorrow you and I will go into town, Harry. There is a muggle town a few miles from here. I will apparate us to a safe location, and then we will walk into town. I will put a few charms on us so that we won't be recognized. They will only last for a few hours, but it should be long enough for us to get everything done."

"What all are we going to do once we get there, sir?" Harry asked.

"We will go ahead and pick up some groceries while we are there, but I mainly want us to look for some new clothes for you. Those rags that you have on are too old and too big for you. We will get you some clothes that actually fit."

"I don't have much money with me, Professor. Will I be able to go to Gringott's?"

"I will be paying for your clothes," Dumbledore said. He raised his hand in order to halt Harry's protests. "I am your guardian now, so it is my responsibility to buy you the things that you need. I have plenty of money. You don't have to worry about that."

Harry could see the determined look on the Headmaster's face. He knew that Dumbledore wasn't going to back down from this very easily. Harry was willing to give up the topic for now, but he would bring it back up later. He had plenty of money in his vault to pay for his necessities.

"Will I be able to get out of the house very often and go somewhere?" Harry questioned.

"I'm afraid not. No one knows that you have left the Dursley's house, so they won't be looking for you yet. Someone will probably find out eventually, though. The temporary charms that I place on us will fool muggles and many witches and wizards, but some people can see through them. I don't want to risk us being accidentally discovered by Death Eaters."

Harry felt a little disappointed at that news, but he was glad that he would at least be able to leave the next day. He glanced over at the clock and was shocked to realize that it was about time to go to bed. He grew nervous just thinking about going to sleep. Dumbledore followed Harry's gaze and seemed to know what Harry was thinking about.

"It will be okay, Harry. I will be in the next room if you need me. Don't hesitate to wake me up," Dumbledore said seriously.

Harry gave the Headmaster a grateful smile. He said a soft good night before leaving the room and heading towards his bedroom. As he slid under his sheets, he marveled at what had happened this morning. When his eyes finally slid shut, he enjoyed a much needed dreamless sleep.

A few hours later, the Headmaster silently crept into Harry's room in order to check on the boy. He relaxed when he saw Harry sleeping peacefully. It seemed that the talk had really helped Harry, but he knew that the nightmares would be back. He hoped that Harry would begin to open up with him more. After pulling Harry's covers up a little bit, Dumbledore quietly walked back into his own room.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Props to my reviewers: Riker15, Sar Sar, Sarah, nicky12330, Strider, Rosaleen, saiyanwizardgurl, Lisaloup, Yggdrasil, and Arica, Princess of Rivendell.

sweets2: Harry will be injured at some point during the summer.

mmcgonagall: Sirius will continue to show up. Voldemort and his Death Eaters will be seen and heard from throughout the story. There will be a couple other people that will make appearances (such as in this chapter), but they won't play major roles.

sweet as lemonz: Dumbledore and Harry will continue to bond throughout the summer. As of right now, I don't plan on having Dumbledore train Harry. Voldemort is still adamant about killing Harry, and Harry will be having several visions in the story.

dubdigit: I don't have a set schedule on when I update, but I do try to update every 4-7 days. With college ending for the semester in about a month and Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching, updates may not be as frequent though.

hyper-swain: I wasn't really looking for a beta, but thank you anyway. If I change my mind in the future, I will be sure to get in touch with you.

* * *

Harry and Dumbledore stood in the living room the next morning after eating breakfast. The Headmaster was going to Apparate them into an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. Before they left, however, they were going to need charms placed on them. The Headmaster gazed at Harry a few moments before waving his wand and muttering a few words. After he was finished, he conjured up a full length mirror so that Harry could check out his new look.

Harry critically scrutinized his face. His hair was now a light brown with hints of blonde highlights running through it. It was shorter and done up in spikes. He glanced at his exposed forehead and was shocked to discover that his famous scar was no longer visible. Harry noticed next that his vision had been temporarily fixed. When he took off his glasses, he realized that his vivid green eyes had turned a deep blue.

While Harry had been looking in the mirror, the Headmaster had gone ahead and put charms on himself. Harry turned to Dumbledore and began studying the Headmaster's new looks. Dumbledore's long hair now reached to just above his shoulders, and his beard was now a neatly trimmed goatee. His hair and beard were a dark red, and his skin was devoid of wrinkles. The Headmaster's nose wasn't long and crooked anymore, and his glasses were gone.

Harry stood speechless for a few seconds while trying to comprehend the changes that had just occurred.

"You have got to teach me that spell sometime. I want to know how to hide my scar and fix my vision."

Dumbledore chuckled at Harry's words. "This is just a Glamour Charm. Our true selves are just hidden underneath it. The spell will wear off eventually, but we should be back here before that happens. Before we leave, Harry, I want to go over a few things. You should stick close to me at all times unless I tell you otherwise. There are some wizards and witches that live close to the town, but I don't think that it will cause us any problems. Come over here and grab my hands. It's time to go."

Before Harry realized it, they had arrived inside the living room of the abandoned house. A saggy couch with stuffing coming out of the fabric sat in the room. Dust thickly covered every surface of the area. Other than the couch, no other furniture was present. Harry silently walked over to the front door while the Headmaster peered through the faded curtains that hung over one of the room's windows. Dumbledore must have been satisfied with whatever he saw because he waved Harry out the door and followed after him.

"What were you looking for, sir?" Harry asked puzzled.

"I wanted to make sure that no one was around when we left the house. People might be suspicious if they saw us leaving an abandoned house, especially since we don't look like we're homeless."

Harry and Dumbledore weren't walking for too long before they entered the small town. A couple people wandered down the streets, but for the most part, the roads were deserted. No one paid any attention to them as they walked over to the first shop and went inside.

As they entered the store, a young salesgirl walked over to them and asked if they would like assistance. Once she heard that Harry needed a whole new wardrobe, her face lit up and she grabbed Harry's hand. She dragged him over to the men's department while Harry glanced helplessly over his shoulder at the amused Headmaster. The girl kept up a constant chatter as she picked up several outfits and shoved them into Harry's arms to hold.

"Are you new around here? I haven't seen you before. My name is Lizzy. I grew up in this town my whole life, and I've worked in this store for about two years. When school is in session, I work during the afternoons. Now that the summer is here, however, I work all the time. I'm glad that you came in here this morning. It's been pretty boring so far. What kind of style are you looking for?"

The girl didn't seem to take a breath during her entire speech. Harry started to open his mouth in order to answer her question, but she didn't give him any time to say anything.

"Why don't I pick out a bunch of different stuff for you to try on, and then you can model all of the outfits for us? If you don't like anything that you try on, you just have to tell me. That will give me an idea for what kinds of clothes to look for next."

Harry didn't have any time to either agree or disagree before he was pushed into a small cubicle and the door pulled closed behind him. He stood in shock for a few moments until he was able to try anything on. After he had the first outfit on, he was only able to stare at himself in the mirror with his mouth hanging open. He didn't want to walk out into the store with the outfit on, but the salesgirl was getting impatient.

"Are you done yet? Come out where we can see you."

Harry reluctantly opened the door and shuffled out. Once the Headmaster caught sight of the outfit, his eyes began to twinkle and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Harry was wearing tight, black leather pants and a dark red sleeveless shirt. On his wrist was a spike bracelet, and a studded necklace was strapped around his neck.

"Not a word," Harry warned Dumbledore before turning to the salesgirl. "I'm sorry, but I really don't like this outfit. It's not me at all."

Harry raced back into the changing room. His face had turned a beet red, and he had to close his eyes for a few seconds. While he stood still inside the dressing room, he was able to hear the salesgirl make a comment about him.

"I don't see why he didn't like it. I thought he looked hot in that outfit."

Harry choked after hearing her speak. He quickly got into motion taking off the clothes and trying on something else. After getting the new outfit on, he left the cubicle once again.

This time Harry had on khaki pants and a light blue button-up polo shirt. Harry thought that this outfit was much better than the previous one, but he still wasn't completely satisfied.

"I don't think that this is exactly what I'm looking for either, sorry. This makes me feel too…dressed up, I guess."

Harry escaped back into the dressing room in order to continue trying on more clothes. After several hours, he quickly grew tired of changing outfits and modeling them for Dumbledore and Lizzy. Harry thought that the Headmaster was enjoying himself way too much. He finally walked out of the dressing room for the last time and threw the latest outfit on the small pile of clothes to keep. Dumbledore grabbed the assortment of jeans, T-shirts, socks, pajamas, and boxers while making his way to the register.

"You are going to love your new clothes," the salesgirl said as she rang up the different items. "I had a lot of fun helping you. If you ever need anything else, be sure to come back."

Harry gave her a strained smile and accepted the bags that she handed him. He and the Headmaster made their way back out onto the street.

"That wasn't so bad, was it, Harry?" Dumbledore said teasingly.

"No, it was worse than bad. It was horrible. You weren't the one who had to play dress up. And to think, I was looking forward to coming shopping today."

"Oh, Harry," the Headmaster chuckled. "You're overreacting just a little bit. Let's get something to eat while we are here in town, and then we will go buy some groceries before we head home."

Harry's mood improved during lunch, but he was still exhausted from their shopping excursion. He was ready to get back to the house and rest for a while, but they still had to go to the grocery store. Once they reached the grocery, Dumbledore turned to Harry.

"I can tell that you are tired. Why don't you rest on this bench in front of the store while I make a quick trip inside? I won't be very long, but I want you to sit in this spot and don't go anywhere."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said gratefully as he put their bags on the ground and sat down.

Harry glanced up and down the streets and noticed that no one was around. As he was watching, he suddenly noticed that two figures were making their way down the road in his direction. Once they were close enough, Harry recognized Arthur Weasley. He jumped up startled, forgetting the charms he had on, and ran into the alleyway beside the grocery store. He quickly looked for a place to hide and finally decided on crouching down on the other side of a dumpster.

He could hear their voices as they drifted closer to the area where he hid. He hoped that they would continue on past the alleyway, but he gave a small gasp when he realized that he could see their shadows moving towards him. The two figures stopped a few feet from the dumpster, and Harry tried to stay as still as he could. Apparently, Arthur and the woman with him thought that they were alone because they began to talk about the wizarding world.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to debrief you about the situation before we left, Tonks, but there wasn't enough time."

"That's fine, Arthur. What exactly is the situation?" Tonks replied.

"Some Muggle kid found a sports card on the side of the road and brought it with him to school. He was showing it off to some of his friends. The card had some kind of curse or jinx on it because all of the ten kids that touched it got sick immediately afterwards. We're on our way over to the school now in order to remedy the situation. I think that a couple people might meet us there to help with the Memory Charms," Arthur explained.

"This is a job for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, so why am I here? Was this the work of Death Eaters?" Tonks asked.

"Even though Fudge doesn't believe that You-Know-Who has returned, he is aware that the public has grown uneasy. People saw what happened at the Quidditch World Cup, they know that Cedric died, and they have heard whispers about His return. Fudge sent you in order to protect himself and his position. He feels that the public will rest a little easier if they know that he is investigating anything that could possibly have to do with the Death Eaters. To me, this incidence at the school doesn't look like it was done by You-Know-Who's followers. I think that it was just someone who wanted to just play around with the Muggles. The Death Eaters are more vicious than this."

"Well, I guess that we had better head over there and get this over with. Lead the way, Arthur."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as they walked away. He waited a few moments before leaving his hiding spot. When he stood, he found himself face-to-face with Dumbledore. Harry froze when he saw the angry look on the Headmaster's face.

"We will talk about this when we get home," Dumbledore said.

Harry silently followed after the Headmaster. Once they got inside the abandoned house, Dumbledore grabbed his arm and they left. After arriving at the house, Dumbledore handed Harry the shopping bags.

"Go put these in your room and then come to my office."

Harry hurried to comply with the Headmaster's orders. He went into his bedroom and dropped the bags onto his bed. When Harry entered the office, he saw Dumbledore sitting behind his desk. Harry slowly made his way over to the chair in front of the Headmaster.

"You deliberately disobeyed me after I gave you strict instructions about not moving from that bench. How will I be able to take you into town again if I can't trust you to follow what I say?" Dumbledore said sternly.

Harry sat slumped in the chair with his head bowed. He felt horrible for disappointing the Headmaster.

Dumbledore continued speaking. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when I left the grocery store and you weren't anywhere in sight? The shopping bags were strewn all over the sidewalk, and the streets were empty. I thought that someone had kidnapped you. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry. I was sitting there and all of a sudden I saw Ron's dad walking down the street with some woman named Tonks. I forgot about the charms on us, so I panicked and hid in the alley."

Dumbledore gave a loud sigh and took a moment to calm down. "I think you would have been safe just staying there. I don't believe that they could see through our disguises. Once you thought that you were in danger of being discovered, however, you should have come into the store and found me, not hid by yourself."

"Yes, sir. Am I in trouble?"

"You will not be allowed to fly your broom for one week, and you won't be able to leave the house. If you disobey me like that ever again, your punishment will be harsher."

"Yes, sir," Harry said miserably. "Who is Tonks, Professor? She seemed to know Mr. Weasley pretty well."

"Tonks is an Auror in the Ministry, and she is also a member of the Order," Dumbledore answered.

"I overheard them talking. Someone put a curse on this sports card, and it made some Muggle kids sick. That's why they were here today. Mr. Weasley didn't think that it was the work of Death Eaters, but what do you think, sir?" Harry asked.

"I don't believe that the Death Eaters were involved in it. It seems a little bit juvenile for them. Besides, Severus will be here later if he finds out that it was true. Now, why don't you go put up your new clothes?"

"I really am sorry, sir…"

"You don't have to apologize again, Harry. It's in the past now. I know that you are sorry, and I have already forgiven you. You just need to think carefully before you do anything in the future."

Harry's heart lifted a bit after hearing Dumbledore say that everything was okay between them. He didn't want the Headmaster to be angry with him. Harry gave Dumbledore a small smile before leaving the office and heading back to his bedroom.

* * *

That night Harry woke up at three because of a nightmare. He was a little shaken up, but he managed not to cry. He decided that he didn't want to go back to sleep right away, so he crawled out of bed and started to walk to the living room. He tried to walk lightly and silently, but before he was able to approach his destination, the floorboards gave a loud creak. Harry stood still for a moment and hoped that Dumbledore hadn't heard the noise. Before he was able to finish that thought, however, the door to the Headmaster's bedroom opened up.

"Did you have another nightmare, Harry?"

After Harry nodded, Dumbledore placed a hand on Harry's back and steered him into the living room. They both sat down on the couch, and with a wave of the Headmaster's wand, two cups of milk appeared.

"Would you tell me about it?"

After a moment's hesitation, Harry began to speak. "It was the same as the other night. Cedric, Ron, Hermione, you."

"Do you feel guilty about Cedric's death?" Dumbledore asked, curious about the answer.

"Everyone keeps telling me that it wasn't my fault, but I still feel like there was something more that I could have done," Harry replied while staring into his mug.

"Harry, you didn't know that the Cup was a portkey. You told me about what happened in the graveyard, and I assure you, there wasn't any time for you to help him. Plus, you are only fourteen years old. Peter is over twice your age, and he knows many more spells than you do. There is a war going on in this world between good and evil. More people are going to die before it is over."

"But why did it have to be Cedric? It's not fair," Harry yelled.

"I agree with you, Harry, but life isn't always fair. It isn't fair that your parents were murdered either. Innocent people die all the time, but you will get to see them again someday. Tell me, Harry, do you blame Sirius for your parents' deaths?"

"No, of course not," Harry answered horrified.

"But he blamed himself, just like you are doing now. Both of you are innocent of these crimes. You were both placed in positions which were beyond your control."

Harry sat distractedly contemplating Dumbledore's words. He barely noticed when the Headmaster lead him back to his bedroom and put him to bed. Dumbledore pulled up the covers and tucked them in around Harry.

Just as Dumbledore was leaving, Harry spoke up. "Thank you, sir, for what you said."

Dumbledore turned around. "You're wel-" Dumbledore stopped speaking when he realized that Harry had already fallen back asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I wish that I owned poor Harry but, alas, I don't.

A/N: Just so you know, this chapter contains some scenes of torture. I just wanted to give you fair warning.

I probably won't be able to update for a little while. I have a Civ. paper due soon. Plus, Goblet of Fire comes out Friday! I think that this movie will be the best yet.

Thanks to my reviewers: Dumbledore13, nicky12330, Maben00, shannyauburn, sweet as lemonz, dubdigit, ERMonkey Burner of Cookies, and Arica, Princess of Rivendell.

saiyanwizardgurl: I will mention the Order every now and then, but the Order members probably won't show up again (although that could change). Harry knows about the Order because Sirius told him about it through the mirror in Chapter 4.

sweets2: Harry will continue to have nightmares, although they won't occur as often. He will take the Dreamless Sleep potion, but he can only take it for a small amount of time. Dumbledore will continue to work with Harry on talking about his dreams and feelings.

Curalium Lacrimo: I'm sorry that you think Harry is getting better too fast. I'm not sure that I could believably write Harry with more angst. Harry isn't completely cured though. He is going to feel more guilt after the events of this chapter. I am glad that you will continue reading, however.

* * *

The next two days passed by rather uneventfully. Harry grew bored pretty quickly because he wasn't allowed outside. After a few pointed hints from Dumbledore, though, Harry decided to start on his summer homework. He was glad that he could work on it during the day and not have to do it with a flashlight under the covers.

When Harry went to bed that night, he found himself in front of the Dursley's house. He wondered why he would be dreaming about the Dursleys, but his blood quickly froze when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. As Harry turned around, he spotted Voldemort and several Death Eaters making their way towards #4 Privet Drive. Harry's scar began to throb painfully as they came closer to him.

'This isn't a nightmare,' Harry thought. 'It's a vision! Voldemort is attacking the Dursleys now because he thinks that I'm still staying at their house. I really hope that Dumbledore was wrong about the wards.'

Harry's heart dropped when he saw that the Death Eaters were able to reach the front door of the house. When Voldemort had crossed the wards, a slight shimmer had occurred in the air; however, the wards didn't stop him. Harry heard someone whisper a spell in order to enter the house. Once the door was open, the Death Eaters flooded inside. As soon as they had all entered, Harry followed after them.

"I want all of you to split up and find Potter. Bring him to me alive," Voldemort hissed. "You can play with the Muggles, however."

When some of the Death Eaters went into Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's bedroom, Harry wandered after them. Harry's aunt and uncle had been sound asleep until the door to their room crashed open. Both of them jumped up with a start and glanced wildly around. After they had spotted the intruders, Aunt Petunia gave a loud shriek, and Uncle Vernon reached under his bed and brought out a rifle.

"I don't know who you are, but get out of my house before I blast a hole through you," Vernon warned.

The Death Eaters surrounded the bed and began to laugh. Aunt Petunia shrank against the headboard, and Uncle Vernon nervously raised his gun. One of the Death Eaters stepped closer to Vernon and lifted up his wand.

"Do you really believe, you filthy Muggle, that you can hurt us? We aren't afraid of you. Actually, it is you who should be scared of us. _Crucio_."

Uncle Vernon fell heavily to the floor and began to writhe about. His screams echoed loudly throughout the house. Aunt Petunia had fainted upon hearing her husband's first yells. Harry clapped his hands to his forehead and sank onto the ground. His body convulsed from the curse, and Harry began to scream as well.

The torture stopped when Voldemort stormed into the room and cursed the follower who was hurting Vernon. The Dark Lord's eyes were blazing, and his nostrils flared angrily. Several more Death Eaters entered the room, and one of them was shoving Dudley. Dudley looked bewildered at the scene before him, but Harry was able to discern a hint of fear on his face.

"Potter isn't anywhere in the house. Lucius, I thought your son said that he would be here," Voldemort said dangerously.

"My Lord, Potter told everyone at school that he would be going back to his relatives, but he wouldn't be riding the train with the other children. Draco informed me of this when he got home. I don't know where Potter might be, Master," Lucius spoke from his kneeling position on the floor.

Voldemort whirled around to look at another Death Eater. "Severus, what do you know about this situation? Have you heard anything from Dumbledore concerning the whereabouts of the boy?"

"Forgive me, my Lord, but I was told the same story that was spread around Hogwarts. I too believed that Potter would be at his relatives. Had I heard any differently, I would have informed you of the situation immediately," Snape's silky voice answered.

Voldemort sent the Cruciatus Curse at Snape after hearing his report. "I want better information next time. What good is it if I can get through the wards, but Potter isn't even here?"

Harry shakily tried to get back on his feet when Voldemort ended the curse. He felt so helpless. Harry knew that the Dursleys were going to die, and there was nothing that he could do to save them.

The Death Eaters moved back as the Dark Lord walked over to where the Dursleys were huddled in the corner. Dudley had gone over to his parents a few moments ago, and Aunt Petunia had gained consciousness. They were currently clinging to one another as they anxiously wondered what was going to happen.

Voldemort sneered while watching the pathetic scene. He coldly questioned them. "Where is Potter? I have been dying to get a hold of him."

Aunt Petunia opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she was able to whisper a response. "I don't know where that boy is. We got a letter saying that he wouldn't be coming back."

"For your sake, I hope that you're lying," Voldemort said before turning to Dudley. "Maybe this will get your parents to open up a bit more. _Crucio_."

Harry and Dudley both began to scream from the pain. Aunt Petunia started to sob loudly, and Uncle Vernon yelled at the Dark Lord to stop. Harry wished that Voldemort would show the Dursleys some mercy and just go ahead and end their suffering. He knew, however, that the Death Eaters loved to cause pain and torture.

Voldemort suddenly stopped the curse and turned back to Petunia and Vernon. "Now, where is Potter?"

This time it was Uncle Vernon who spoke. "I swear that we don't know where that brat is. We were glad that he left. We never wanted him in the first place. When we received the letter, we didn't question it."

Harry continued to lay on the ground after the Cruciatus Curse was lifted from Dudley. His whole body ached horribly, and his muscles twitched every few moments. His scar felt like it would split his head in two. After hearing his uncle speak, a lump formed in Harry's throat. He knew that the Dursleys hated him, but it hurt him to actually hear the words coming out of his uncle's mouth. The Dursleys were the last of his family, and they were about to die while still holding on to their hatred of Harry.

Voldemort glared angrily at the Dursleys. He saw that they were useless in his mission. He paced back and forth for a few seconds before reaching a decision.

"As much as I would love to stay here and torture you some more, my Death Eaters and I have some urgent business to attend to. _Avada Kedavra_," Volemort snarled while pointing his wand at Dudley.

Before the Dursleys were able to react to their son's death, Voldemort had performed the Killing Curse twice more. When the Death Eaters began to leave the house, Harry forced himself to crawl over towards his family. He stared at their blank eyes and still bodies.

"I'm sorry that this happened," Harry choked out.

He took one last glance at the Dursleys before shuffling over to the window and looking down at the Death Eaters. The last thing that Harry saw while in his vision was the Dark Mark being hurled to the sky and the Dursleys' house going up in flames.

When Harry violently woke up from his vision, he saw the Headmaster sitting beside him with a worried look on his face. Harry began to openly sob, and Dumbledore quickly pulled Harry up into his arms. Harry clung tightly to the front of the Headmaster's robes, and Dumbledore softly ran his hand over Harry's back.

They sat this way for thirty minutes. Harry would have continued crying, but a flash of light suddenly filled the room. Fawkes flew over to the bed and rested on top of the covers. Harry was oblivious to the bird's presence until Fawkes began to sing. The beautiful song floated throughout the house and warmed the hearts of Harry and Dumbledore. Harry's sobs gradually began to quiet down after a few more minutes until only a sniffle was heard. When Harry had calmed down, he looked up and glanced over at Fawkes. When Fawkes saw that Harry was alright, he stopped singing and began to watch Harry closely.

"Sir, why did Fawkes show up now?" Harry asked.

"Fawkes has always liked you, Harry; however, the connection between the two of you has grown stronger ever since I took you in. He was able to tell that you were distressed and in pain. He wanted to come here and ease your suffering," Dumbledore answered while gently wiping the tears from Harry's face.

Harry stretched out his arm and began to slowly pet the phoenix. Fawkes lazily closed his eyes and made a noise of content.

"Harry, will you please tell me what happened tonight? I woke up because I heard you screaming. When I came in here, you were convulsing every now and then. I tried to wake you up, but you stayed asleep."

Harry abruptly stopped petting Fawkes, and his body involuntarily shivered. Dumbledore reached out a hand and placed it on top of Harry's clenched fists.

"I had a vision tonight…" Harry paused in order to blink back the tears that were gathering in his eyes again. "Voldemort went to the Dursleys' house with the Death Eaters. They were able to get inside the house. The Dursleys were tortured and killed."

Dumbledore pulled Harry back into his embrace. Harry clenched his eyes shut, and a few tears slid silently down his cheeks. When Harry began to speak again, his words were slightly muffled by the Headmaster's robes.

"The Dursleys didn't tell the Death Eaters where I was. They only said that they had received a letter saying that I wasn't ever coming back. The Dursleys said they were glad I was gone." Harry's voice started to crack.

Dumbledore's arms tightened around Harry after hearing those words.

"Harry, the Dursleys didn't deserve to have you. You are a very special person, and I am glad that I have gotten to know you well throughout the years. I'm sorry that you had to witness this tonight. I am relieved, though, that you are safe from Voldemort."

"It hurt to hear their words, even though I knew that they felt that way all along. We may not have liked each other, but I never wanted them to die," Harry whispered.

"I know, Harry. That's what makes you a good person. How are you feeling now? Does your body still hurt?"

"Yeah. The Death Eaters liked to use the Cruciatus Curse a lot," Harry replied.

"I'm sorry that I don't have anything here to help with the pain. Fawkes's tears won't be able to help you either."

Dumbledore saw that Harry's eyes were struggling to stay open. The Headmaster gently disentangled Harry from his robes and helped Harry to lay down.

"Sir, I don't know if I want to go to sleep. I'm afraid that they will haunt me in my dreams," Harry said nervously.

"You need to go back to sleep, Harry. Your body should rest and recover from the strain that it was put under tonight. Besides, I can see that you are having a hard time staying awake as it is."

"Would you please stay with me tonight?" Harry hesitantly asked.

"Of course I will," Dumbledore said as he walked to the other side of the bed and got in beside Harry. The Headmaster sat up with his back against the wall and pulled the covers up around them both. Fawkes began to sing a soothing song, and Harry was soon back asleep.

Dumbledore sat wide awake for a couple of hours contemplating the events that had just transpired. If Harry had gone back to the Dursleys when school let out, he would have been dead by now. Dumbledore watched Harry sleep and hoped that Harry wouldn't have to endure many more hardships.

After a while, the Headmaster heard a sound in the other room. He curiously withdrew his wand and cautiously made his way over to the door. While he was walking to the door, he could hear someone speaking.

"Albus, where are you? There is an emergency. Potter's go-" Snape paused when the Headmaster came out of a bedroom. He caught a glimpse of Harry sleeping in the bed before Dumbldore shut the door.

"Hello, Severus," Dumbledore said.

"What the hell is going on here? Potter was supposed to be at his relatives. When I learned of the Dark Lord's plans to attack Privet Drive, I thought that I would have to attempt some daring rescue plan while giving up my status as a spy. Why didn't you tell me that Potter was here?" the Potions Master snapped.

"First of all, could you please refrain from yelling? I don't want Harry to wake up."

"Of course. We wouldn't want to interrupt Potter's beauty rest," Snape sneered.

"I don't appreciate you insulting him either. He witnessed the attack on the Dursleys tonight, and he was rather distraught. Harry also felt the Cruciatus Curses which were used on the premises," Dumbledore replied.

"How is that possible?" Snape said, confused at what was going on.

"As you know, Harry is connected to Voldemort through his scar. What you aren't aware of is the extent of that connection. Harry has visions in which he sees what Voldemort is doing. He is also able to feel some of the curses that are used during that vision. Harry was in a lot of pain tonight."

After hearing the information, Snape stood silent for a few moments while trying to digest all of this new information.

"I was going to tell you about Harry, Severus, the first time that you came here to report to me. Right now, Harry, you, and I are the only ones who know where Harry is."

"You're telling me that Weasley, Granger, and the mutt don't even know?" Snape asked astonished.

"Yes, Ron, Hermione, and _Sirius_ are unaware of Harry's location. I didn't want anyone to know because I figured that it would be safer this way. Severus, I have a favor to ask of you. Harry has been having nightmares lately about the Triwizard Tournament. I'm afraid that recent events will just cause them to get worse. Would you please make some Dreamless Sleep potion for Harry soon?"

Severus inclined his head. "I will do that tomorrow. Right now I should probably give you my report on tonight's proceedings. I was in my chambers when I felt the Dark Mark begin to burn. I apparated to the Dark Lord's lair and discovered that he had called all of the Death Eaters. He informed us that he could go through the wards on Privet Drive. When we arrived at the house, I looked around for Potter, but I couldn't find him. The Dursleys were tortured for information, but they revealed nothing. The Dark Lord had asked me what I knew about Potter's whereabouts, and when I wasn't able to tell him anything, he used the Cruciatus Curse on me."

Snape paused for a moment before continuing his tale. "After the Dursleys were killed, the house burned, and the Dark Mark placed in the sky, the Death Eaters apparted back to The Dark Lord's hideaway. He was very irritated, and he didn't hesitate to punish more of his followers. He demanded that we work harder in discovering Potter's location."

"He's not still suspicious of you, is he?" Dumbledore asked.

"As you know, he punished me when I first apparated to him after the Triwizard Tournament. He wasn't happy that I hadn't shown up at the graveyard that night. He listened to my explanations, and then he wanted to 'test' my loyalty by causing me a lot of pain. I think that after he put the Cruciatus Curse on me several times, he decided that I had somewhat proven myself. I will be careful how I conduct myself, though, just in case he still suspects something. I don't think that he is happy with any of the Death Eaters right now, however."

Snape and Dumbledore ceased talking when the door to the bedroom opened up and Harry walked out. Snape carefully scrutinized Harry's appearance. Harry's face was too pale, his eyes were red-rimmed, and his hands were slightly shaking.

"Harry, what are you doing out of bed?" Dumbledore gently asked.

"I woke up, and you weren't with me anymore. I wanted to come find you; I didn't want to be alone. Hello, Professor Snape."

Snape didn't say anything, but he did begin to search around in his robes for something. He finally found two vials with liquid inside of them. He handed them to Harry who looked at them questioningly.

"One of these, Potter, is to help with the pain from the Cruciatus Curse. The other is Dreamless Sleep potion. I carry a set of emergency potions with me wherever I go. I will make you some more of each tomorrow and bring them to you soon."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said gratefully.

Snape waited in the hallway while Dumbledore led Harry back into the bedroom. After Harry had drank from the two bottles, the Headmaster left the room while promising to return in a moment.

"Severus, that was very generous of you. Have you had anything to relieve you of your pain?" Dumbledore asked.

"No."

"Was that your last bottle?"

Snape didn't say anything for a few seconds. He just stared at the closed door. Snape finally turned back to the Headmaster. "Potter looked like he needed more than I did."

Dumbledore gave Snape a small smile even though Snape scowled at him. The Headmaster followed Snape back to the fireplace. After the Potions Master had left, Dumbledore went into Harry's bedroom and got back into bed until morning.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: JK Rowling created all of the Harry Potter universe. I'm just borrowing from her.

A/N: I actually finished this earlier than I thought that I would. Yay! I saw Goblet of Fire last night, and I loved it. I thought that it was the best Harry Potter movie so far.

Thanks to all of my reviewers: color, saiyanwizardgurl, mmcgonagall, shannyauburn, Riker15, Rosaleen, nicky12330, Dumbledore13, sweets2, Laume, dubdigit, Curalium Lacrimo, Black's Phoenix, and Arica, Princess of Rivendell.

* * *

Harry slowly opened his eyes the next morning. The events of the night came crashing back into his mind. Guilt began to consume his thoughts. He would have continued to think about it, but Harry noticed that Dumbledore was still lying beside him on the bed.

"Good morning, Harry," the Headmaster said softly. "How about you get dressed, we'll eat breakfast, and then we can talk?"

"Alright," Harry replied quietly.

After going through a quick breakfast, Harry and Dumbledore sat beside each other on the couch. Harry didn't particularly want to rehash last night's vision, but he knew that the Headmaster wouldn't let it go.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Better. I'm not sore like I was last night."

"That's good, but I'm not just talking about your physical health. We need to talk about what happened last night. Harry, I know that you feel guilty about Cedric death, which wasn't your fault, by the way. How do you feel now that the Dursleys are dead?"

Harry gave a mental groan before answering. "The Dursleys are gone. My feelings about them don't matter anymore."

"Please answer the question. Your feelings are very important. Guilt can eat away at you if you do not get rid of it. It can be unhealthy to not deal with your feelings and emotions."

"Voldemort killed the Dursleys because of me," Harry burst out. "Had I not lived there, he wouldn't have gone after them."

"But I was the one who put you with them. You never had any say in your living arrangements. Do you think that it is my fault?" the Headmaster replied.

"No…but…that's different," Harry sputtered.

"Your relatives knew that Voldemort had killed your parents and tried to kill you. When I left you on their doorstep with a letter, I informed them that Voldemort could possibly return. I did tell them that the wards should keep you safe; however, they did know that there could be dangers in the future. Despite their feelings for you, they still took you in."

"Why did they raise me if they hate magic so much?" Harry asked puzzled.

"I think that a lot of it had to do with your aunt. She knew that, if the situation was reversed, Lily would probably have taken care of Dudley. After all, you are still family," Dumbledore said.

The Headmaster continued speaking. "Harry, the Dursleys might have died even if you had not lived with them. They were all Muggles, and you know how much the Death Eaters despise Muggles. Now that Voldemort is back, they will be torturing and murdering more than before."

"I understand, Professor. It is just something that is hard to accept," Harry answered.

"Over the years, Harry, I have felt a lot of guilt and sorrow. Many students have attended Hogwarts since I have been both a professor of the school and the Headmaster. I have wanted to help all of them, but I have sometimes felt that I have failed some students. We have had a lot of successful, happy graduates; however, there are some who have become Death Eaters, some have committed suicide, and some are drug users. The list goes on and on."

"What did you do to get over your feelings of guilt?" Harry asked curiously.

"I vow to work harder next time. If I see a student who is having problems, I try to make myself available. I can't be hard on myself because of one student who has gone down the wrong path. If I spend a lot of time criticizing myself and putting myself down, I won't be able to help the next student in need. Many kids exhibit warning signs. You just have to pay attention to them. Harry, everyone has their own methods of working through their negative feelings. Different circumstances require different techniques. Things will get better for you."

The conversation was interrupted when Harry could vaguely hear someone frantically calling his name. He jumped when he realized that the sound was coming from his pocket. He hurriedly reached into his pocket and pulled out the mirror. Harry saw Sirius's worried face looking back at him.

"Thank God, Harry. I was so scared when I heard what had happened at the Dursleys. I thought that you might have been kidnapped by Death Eaters. No one knew what had happened to you. Where are you? How did you get away?"

"Hi, Sirius," Harry said before looking over at Dumbledore. Harry wasn't sure if he was allowed to disclose his current location.

Dumbledore quietly responded to Harry's silent question. "First find out where he is. If he is in a secure area, then you can tell him."

"What's going on?" Sirius asked. "Who are you talking to? Please answer me!"

"Sirius, where are you right now? I want to tell you everything, but it may not be safe for me to do so if you aren't somewhere secure," Harry said.

"Well, of course I'm somewhere secure. I'm an escaped convict. I can't just be wandering around," Sirius snapped.

When he saw Harry's hurt face, he hurried to apologize. "I'm sorry. I've just been worried about you. Right now I am at Kingsley Shacklebolt's house. He is an Auror in the Order of the Phoenix. He was called over to your house last night after the attack occurred. I just arrived at his house this morning, and he filled me in. So…"

"Oh, yeah. I never went to the Dursley's house when school let out. Professor Dumbledore didn't think that it would be safe, so he let me stay with him at his house…"

Sirius cut Harry off when he heard that. "Why wasn't I informed about this? I'm your godfather. I should be consulted when major things like this are going on. Plus, I wouldn't have been so worried if I had known. Who else knows?"

"Well, just the three of us and Professor Snape…"

Sirius couldn't stop himself from interrupting Harry again. "What! Why did that greasy git know about this before I did? He was probably one of the ones there last night. Now that he knows where you are, he could tell Voldemort about your location."

Dumbledore saw that Harry was getting upset. He took the mirror out of Harry's hands in order to talk to Sirius.

"Sirius, you need to calm down for Harry's sake." Dumbledore waited a few moments before talking again. "Now, I trust Severus completely. He is a spy for the Order, and you know that. He did not know that Harry was here until he came to my house last night in order to inform me about the Death Eater attack."

"I don't care what you say. I'm not very happy with you right now. Snivellus should not even be around my godson."

"Sirius," Dumbledore warned. "I wouldn't be talking bad about him if I were you. He helped Harry last night. Harry saw the attack in one of his visions. When Severus got here, he gave Harry some Dreamless Sleep potion and something for his pain. He also said that he would make some more potions for Harry and bring them here today."

"Harry, are you okay?" Sirius asked.

Dumbledore handed the mirror back to Harry. Looking carefully at his godson, Sirius was able to see the tired look on his face.

"I'm fine now, Sirius. I don't really want to talk about the attack anymore, though. Sorry."

"That's alright, Harry. I understand. I'm here if you ever need to talk to me about anything," Sirius gently said. He paused before remembering something else that he wanted to say.

"If _Snape_," Sirius spat, "gives you a hard time, you contact me. He may have helped you, but you can't expect me to change my feelings towards him."

Harry gave Sirius a small smile. "I'll be fine. He was very civil last night."

Sirius scoffed as if he didn't believe it possible that Snape could act civil towards another human being.

"Harry, I have some more work to do for the Order. I will talk to you soon, alright? Bye."

"Bye, Sirius."

"Harry," Dumbledore said hesitantly, "There is something that I need to do, but I don't want to leave you alone."

"I'll be fine here by myself. No one will be able to get me here. What is it that you need to do?" Harry questioned.

"After the events of last night and Sirius's reaction, I think that I need to tell the Weasleys and Ms. Granger that you are safe. They are probably already worrying about you."

"I wish that I could go talk to them myself," Harry said wistfully.

"I'm sorry, Harry. The summer won't last forever. You will see each other again."

"What are we going to do about the rest of the wizarding world? Nobody knows if I'm even dead or alive," Harry replied.

"While I am out, I will also drop by Kingsley Shacklebolt's house. I'm sure that Sirius has more words that he would like to share with me without you overhearing. I'll have Kingsley tell the Ministry that you have been relocated to somewhere safe, but I won't have him mention who you are staying with."

"I hope Sirius didn't feel too hurt that we didn't tell him. He seemed kind of angry," Harry sadly said while lowering his head.

"If he was angry, it was with me, not with you. I'm sure that he will get over it after he has ranted at me for a little while," the Headmaster replied with a twinkle in his eyes.

Dumbledore stood up and gave Harry a quick hug. Harry was caught off guard, but he hesitantly put his arms around the other man.

"I'll try to be back as soon as I can, Harry. Find something to entertain yourself for a few hours. When I get back, we'll do something together."

"Alright. Would you please tell Ron and Hermione hello for me? And tell them that I'm sorry that I had to lie to them," Harry answered.

"Of course I will. Bye, Harry."

After Dumbledore had left through the fireplace, Harry decided to go back to his room and lay down for a little while. He was still tired from last night, so he decided that it might be nice to rest. He had quickly fallen asleep and dozed for a few hours.

* * *

Harry suddenly woke up when he heard the bedroom door open. He groggily reached over and picked up his glasses. When he put them on, he was able to make out Professor Snape standing in the doorway with a strange look on his face. Snape's face hurriedly changed into a neutral expression as soon as he noticed Harry staring at him.

"Potter, where is the Headmaster?"

"He had to leave a few hours ago. He wanted to tell the Weasleys and Hermione that I was okay," Harry replied.

"It has taken him this long to inform them of your current situation? And he left you here alone all this time?"

Harry ignored his teacher's comments. "Did you want him for something?"

"I just came by to bring you the potions that I made. I'll need to tell you a little bit about them so that you don't overdose. Are you sure that you can remember this? Should you write it down?" Snape sneered.

"I know that the Dreamless Sleep potion can only be taken for three days. Then you have to let your body go without it for at least a week so that it can cleanse itself," Harry replied. He grinned when he saw the shocked look on his professor's face.

"How would you know that, Potter?" Snape asked, surprised at the correct answer.

"When you stay in the Hospital Wing as much as I do, you learn a few things about the potions that you have to take," Harry answered with a shrug. "I don't recognize the potion that you made me for the pain, though."

Snape tried to replace his shocked expression with a more dignified one.

"I wouldn't expect you to know that one. It is, after all, used specifically for the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse. You don't see people suffering from that in a school. Of course, you would be the exception. You need to take it whenever you feel pain from the Curse, but you can only have it once a day. When you run out of potions, I will make some more."

"Professor, are you okay? I saw that Vol- sorry, You-Know-Who hit you with the Cruciatus Curse."

"I am fine, Potter," Snape said tersely. "What about you? The Curse was used several times."

Harry was the one who was shocked this time. Professor Snape had actually asked how he was feeling. Lately, Harry had begun to notice that his teacher had been more civil, but Harry was still caught off guard. Even though Snape would make comments towards him, Harry wasn't offended by them like he had been before. The comments weren't as biting as they used to be. Harry wondered what had occurred to make Snape change.

"I'm better. Thank you for making the potions for me."

Snape only acknowledged the thanks with an incline of his head. Harry paused briefly before continuing to speak. He hoped that his teacher would be willing to share some information with him.

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened last night after the Dursleys were murdered and the Death Eaters left?"

Snape stayed silent for a long time. Harry didn't think that he was going to answer the question, but Snape finally began to speak.

"We went back to the Dark Lord's abode. He is livid that you managed to thwart his plans once again. He is working harder than ever to find you."

"I know that you weren't at the graveyard. Does he think that you're a spy?" Harry asked.

"No, and that is all you need to know," Snape firmly responded.

They both turned toward the door as Dumbledore wearily stepped inside the room.

"Hello, Severus. Thank you for bringing those potions by. I hope that you two were okay in my absence," Dumbledore said before turning to Harry. "I'm sorry that I took so long, Harry. There was a lot of stuff that I had to take care of. I will explain everything to you tomorrow."

"I must be going back home, Albus," Snape said. "If anything happens, I will return and report to you. Goodbye, Albus, Potter."

"Goodbye, Professor Snape," Harry responded.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful, stupendous, magnificent, amazing world of Harry Potter.

A/N: I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to get this chapter out. Everything's been pretty crazy lately. I can't promise when my next chapter will be updated, but I will try to make it as soon as possible.

* * *

"So what happened to you yesterday? You were gone for a while," Harry said.

Harry was wandering around bored in Dumbledore's office while browsing the bookshelves. The Headmaster stopped working at his desk and looked up.

"I went to Kingsley Shacklebolt's house first. I wanted him to tell the Minister when he returned to work that you were somewhere safe in hiding; however, those plans changed. While I was there, the Minister personally firecalled Kinsley in order to see if there had been any progress in finding you."

"What happened to Sirius?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Sirius was able to change into his Animagus form before Cornelius saw him. When the Minister saw me, he asked me if I knew what had happened. I told him that you were alright. He demanded to know where you were, but I told him that it was classified information. I said that he could tell The Daily Prophet that you had gone into hiding before the Dursleys were attacked. The whole wizarding world will know today that you are alive and alright, but they won't know where you are or who you are with."

"I bet that the Minister didn't like the fact that you were keeping something from him," Harry chuckled.

The Headmaster smiled at that statement. "No, he didn't. His face grew really red and he spluttered for a few seconds when he realized that I wasn't going to tell him your location. He kept persisting in asking me the same questions over and over. After he saw that he wasn't getting anywhere in his interrogation, he quickly left."

"Were you able to talk to Sirius while you were there?" Harry questioned.

"Yes. He said some things, which I will not repeat, but he did want me to tell you that he wishes he could see you face-to-face. Once he is done with his mission, you two may be able to spend some time together. Sirius's house is under the Fidelius Charm. The house will be used as Order of the Phoenix headquarters."

"The…Fidelius Charm?" Harry hesitantly asked.

"Don't worry, Harry. I am the Secret Keeper. The only people who will know about the house will be people we can trust," Dumbledore said reassuringly.

"When Fudge was at Hogwarts after the Tournament, he did not believe that Voldemort had come back. Does he believe it now?"

"He does. Voldemort's return was printed in the papers yesterday. Many people did not believe he had come back until the attack on the Dursleys occurred. There were witnesses to the attack. Neighbors heard screams coming from the house, and they saw the house going up in flames. They were able to see the Death Eaters leave, and they could accurately describe Voldemort to the Ministry," Dumbledore answered.

"Did the Death Eaters harm anyone else on Privet Drive?"

"No. The Muggles stayed inside of their house until the Death Eaters had Disapparated. The Ministry appeared at the Dursleys' house within minutes. The neighbors were questioned and then obliviated."

"Where did you go after you left Sirius and Mr. Shackelbolt?" Harry asked.

"I went to the Weasley's house. They were running around panicking and making a lot of noise. When I appeared, they immediately swarmed me and began shouting over each other while trying to ask me questions. It took a few moments before everyone had calmed down enough to hear me. I assured them that you were safe, and I told them that you weren't at the Dursleys' house during the attack. I didn't mention that you were staying with me, however."

"Why didn't you?" Harry frowned.

"You never know who could be listening. They must have realized though that I was in contact with you because they told me to tell you hello. Molly also refused to let me leave without bringing back some ham sandwiches, a fruit salad, and some pies," Dumbledore answered with twinkling eyes.

"That sounds like Mrs. Weasley," Harry laughed.

"I was able to view The Daily Prophet while I was there. The story of your disappearance and the Death Eater attack took up five whole pages. It looks like you will be making headlines again today since the newspaper will be printing that you are alright."

"Great," Harry said sarcastically.

"I was at the Weasleys' house for a while. They wanted to hear everything about you that I could possibly tell them. Even after I was done talking, they asked a lot of questions and wanted to have some parts of the story repeated. They really care about you."

"Did you say anything to Mr. Weasley about us seeing him in town? Did you ask him whether Death Eaters had really harmed those Muggles?"

"No, I didn't," Dumbedore replied. "The Weasleys knew that I would see you at some point, but they don't know that you are staying with me. If I told Arthur that we saw him in town, he would know that I live around here somewhere. Anyone could hear that information and could try to search for my house. Besides, if the attack had been real Death Eaters, Arthur would have told me."

"What else happened while you were at the Weasleys?" asked Harry.

"Not much. After I left their house, I went to see Ms. Granger. She had not known that anything had happened. I had to fill her in on all of the details, which took quite a while. She too was able to figure out that I was in contact with you."

Dumbledore rummaged through his desk and pulled out two letters. He handed them over to Harry.

"These letters are from Hermione and Ron. They made me wait while they each wrote to you."

"Thank you. Will you be visiting either of them again this summer?" Harry questioned hopefully.

"I don't know. We'll just have to see what happens."

Harry sat down in the chair across from Dumbledore's desk in order to read his letters.

_Dear Harry,_

_I am so glad that you are okay. When Professor Dumbledore came to my house, I was worried that something had happened. My parents and I had been out for the day, so I didn't get a chance to read The Daily Prophet. Before we left school, I knew that there was something that you were keeping from us. I just didn't want to bother you about it. I thought that it might have had something to do with Cedric. _

_How are you feeling, by the way? I hope that you don't feel guilty about Cedric and the Dursleys dying. It wasn't your fault. I know that you don't usually like to talk about things like this, but I really hope that you have been talking to Professor Dumbledore. I don't know where you are hiding, but wherever you are, I know that the Headmaster will help you through your hard times._

_I wish that we could write to each other. Not much has been going on here. I've talked to Ron once. He tells me that he hasn't started on his summer homework yet. I hope that you are being more sensible than he is. I have already gotten a lot of it completed._

_If I don't get the chance to talk to you before school starts, I hope that you have a wonderful summer._

_Hermione_

Harry gave a small smile when he finished reading Hermione's letter. He neatly folded it up and started to open the note from Ron

_Harry,_

_I can't believe that the Death Eaters killed the Dursleys. My whole family was in a panic when we read The Daily Prophet. Mum and Ginny started crying, and Dad immediately went to the Ministry in order to see if it was true. Even Fred and George were subdued. Everything was pretty crazy until Dumbledore showed up. After he explained everything, Mum jumped up and started hugging everyone. We were all relieved when we heard you were okay._

_Everyone wants me to tell you hi. Mum is sending over some food for you to eat. I'm sure that wherever you are, Professor Dumbledore won't let you starve; however, Mum wants to feel useful._

_There isn't a whole lot going on around here. Fred and George have been holed up in their room a lot. They say that they are busy working, which of course means that they are inventing new pranks. I don't see where they got all of this money from. I saw them smuggling in some raw materials for their pranks the other day, but I don't know how they were able to pay for it all._

_I'm sorry that we won't get to talk for a while. I hope you're having fun._

_Ron_

When Harry glanced up from his letters, he saw that Dumbledore was looking at him.

"Did your friends have anything interesting to say?" the Headmaster asked.

"They were just telling me about what's been going on the last few days. Ron told me that Fred and George have been inventing a lot of new pranks lately. They are using the money that I gave them from the Triwizard winnings."

Dumbledore gazed sadly at Harry. "You gave them all of the money that you won? I am proud that you wanted to help them out, but you should know that you won the money fairly. Don't feel guilty that the money was given to you and not to Cedric or his family."

"At the time, I didn't want the money because I did feel guilty. You have been helping me work through my feelings, however, by talking to me about all of this. It will just take some time. I don't regret giving them the money though. I don't need it, but they could sure put it to good use. They want to open up a joke shop, and this money will help them achieve their goal," Harry said.

"As long as you are okay with it, then that is all that matters. They are lucky to have a good friend like you."

"Did you go anywhere else yesterday?" Harry questioned.

"I had to take care of a few odds and ends, but the majority of the afternoon was spent ensuring everyone of your well being. I was a little surprised when I came back to the house yesterday and you and Severus were getting along," the Headmaster responded.

"I don't know what's gotten into him lately, but we've been acting fairly decent towards each other. I think that I shocked him when I correctly described one of the potions that he had," Harry answered with a grin.

Dumbledore gave a small smile. "I'm glad that things are working out between you two. Maybe the situation will continue to improve."

"Well, I'm going to go to my room for a little while before lunch. Thank you for bringing me letters from my friends," Harry said as he stood up.

"You're welcome, Harry. I'll see you in a little while."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling.

A/N: Thank you to all of my reviewers. I love hearing what people think about my story (especially the positive comments).

* * *

Harry dove through the air on his broomstick. It was his first day off from being grounded, and the Headmaster had said that he was allowed to fly again. Harry was glad that he could release some of his tension. For the past two nights, he had been off of the Dreamless Sleep potion, and he had had some nightmares about the Dursleys. Dumbledore had been there every time when Harry woke up. The Headmaster was able to comfort him, and they would talk to each other.

Harry had been flying for about half an hour before he decided to go back inside for a few moments. He wanted to grab his Quidditch gloves and try practicing with them on. He slowly landed and quietly walked into the house. Harry started to walk past the Headmaster's office on the way to his bedroom, but he heard voices coming through the door which was cracked open. He would have continued walking, but he heard someone say his name.

"Where is Potter?" Snape asked.

"He's outside flying. He should be out there for a while. Harry hasn't had the chance to fly lately, and he hasn't been outside for very long today. What do you have to report to me?" Dumbledore asked.

"The Dark Lord is gathering more followers. He called a meeting last night in order to initiate ten new Death Eaters. I did not know who any of them were. We will be meeting again tonight so that the new recruits can perform a raid on a Muggle town. The Dark Lord wants to test their loyalty and also see how well they can carry out this task."

"Do you know which town he has chosen?" the Headmaster questioned.

"No, I don't. He won't reveal that until tonight. I guess that he is afraid that the information could get out to the wrong people," Snape answered.

"I want you to stay out of the raid as much as possible without looking suspicious. Report back to me once Voldemort has allowed you to leave."

Harry continued to stand still in the middle of the hallway while trying to hear what they were talking about. He wanted to know what was going on in the wizarding world. Harry didn't think that the Headmaster would tell him everything about what Voldemort was up to if he were to ask.

"What is Voldemort doing about Harry's disappearance?" Dumbledore asked.

"He has been sending out people to look for him, but it is a little bit difficult for them since no one knows where to go. The Dark Lord has offered a reward for the one to capture Potter," Snape replied.

"Do you have anything else to report to me?"

"No."

"Well, now that that is out of the way, I have something to ask you that I've been curious about for a while. What has been going on between you and Harry lately?"

Harry leaned forward eager to hear Snape's response. He had been wondering the same thing.

Snape stayed quiet a few moments before answering. "I guess that it all started after the Tournament. I could see that he was getting very depressed, and I heard about what happened at the graveyard. I suppose that I felt a little bit sorry for him."

Harry's jaw dropped open when he heard that. He never expected that Professor Snape would feel sympathy towards him. He quickly composed himself and strained his ears in order to hear everything that was being said.

Dumbledore stayed silent while Snape continued to speak. "He is only fourteen years old, and he has been through a lot. He shouldn't experience the Cruciatus Curse through his connection to Voldemort, and he shouldn't see what the Death Eaters do to people. When I was younger, I made the mistake of choosing this lifestyle. Unlike me, Potter has been involuntarily thrown into his situation."

"I hope you realize that you have paid for your actions by spying for the Light. You have provided valuable information. I'm glad though that you and Harry are getting along now," Dumbledore said.

"How is Potter coping without the Dreamless Sleep potion? He has gone without it for the past two days."

"He did have nightmares both nights, but he's doing okay. I've been talking with him after they occur."

"I will make more of the potion and bring it to you soon. Has he had any more visions?" Snape asked.

"No. He hasn't needed to take any more of the pain potion either. The visions will probably occur more frequently, however, once the Death Eaters become more active. I hope that he doesn't see the raid tonight."

Harry had heard enough of the conversation. He quietly returned to the back door. When he got there, Harry opened the door and then loudly slammed it shut. He wanted to alert them to his presence and make them think that he had just come in. It was a few seconds later when the Headmaster and Snape walked into the living room.

"Hello, Professor Snape. What are you doing here?" Harry asked while trying to look innocent. From the corner of his eye, he could see Dumbledore giving him a calculating look.

"Potter, I am here to talk with the Headmaster; however, your noisy entrance interrupted our meeting."

"I'm sorry, sir. I just came back in to get my Quidditch gloves. You can continue talking after I go back outside."

"It doesn't matter. I was just getting ready to leave anyway. I will have some more Dreamless Sleep potion for you in a few days," Snape replied.

"Thank you for doing this for me, sir. It has been a big help," Harry sincerely said.

"You're welcome." Snape turned back to the Headmaster. "I will return soon. Goodbye."

Snape stepped over to the fireplace and flooed away. After the Potions Master left, Harry and Dumbledore sat down beside each other on the couch.

"It isn't nice to eavesdrop, you know," Dumbledore said.

"I don't know what you're talking…" Harry broke off when he saw the Headmaster's raised eyebrow. He gave Dumbledore a sheepish grin. "Oh, alright. How did you know?"

"First of all, the slammed door was a little bit over the top. You never slam the door unless you are angry, and I didn't think that you had any reason to be mad today. Secondly, you looked too innocent whenever we walked into the room, like you were trying to hide something."

"I wasn't going to listen to you guys at first, but I heard Professor Snape say my name. I was surprised by what he had to say about me," Harry answered.

"I don't think that it would be wise to let him know that you overheard him." Dumbledore smiled.

"I don't plan on it," Harry said. After a few moments of silence, Harry hesitantly began to speak again. "I overheard you and Professor Snape talking about the raid tonight. Sir, how does he go on Death Eater raids and not draw attention to himself? Does he have to…torture people?"

"He doesn't usually go on raids because Voldemort allows him to stay at the manor and make potions. Severus is only required to go on important occasions. When he does go, he tries to stay out of the way. He sometimes destroys a building or something, but he doesn't hurt anyone. The other Death Eaters are usually too busy doing their own thing."

"How long has Professor Snape been a spy?" Harry inquired.

"For many years. Severus joined Voldemort willingly after graduation in order to gain power and recognition, but he soon saw the terror and destruction that the Death Eaters caused. He was disgusted by it, yet he knew that he would be killed if he just left. Severus came to me for help, and I suggested that he become a spy. He's been doing it ever since," Dumbledore explained.

"I hate having my nightmares, but I think that I'd rather have a nightmare tonight than see the Death Eaters attack some Muggles." Harry's body shuddered.

The Headmaster placed an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Everything will be okay, Harry. These visions are unpredictable, so you may not see anything tonight. If you do have one, however, I will be there with you."

"Thank you, sir. That means a lot to me."

A noise crackled throughout the room. Harry brought the mirror out of his pocket.

"Hey, Sirius. How are you?"

"Hi, Harry," Sirius responded with a grin. "I'm doing good. My mission is going alright."

"Are you still at Kingsley Shacklebolt's house?"

"No, I've moved on. I'm at Arabella Figg's house now."

Harry got a shocked look on his face. "Mrs. Figg? My old neighbor? She's a witch?"

"No. She is a squib, but she is in the Order," Sirius responded.

"Why didn't she ever tell me?" Harry's hurt voice asked Dumbledore.

"She was watching over you. I didn't want her to expose her position. It was supposed to be a secret. I'm sorry that you didn't know," the Headmaster said soothingly.

Harry grumpily turned back to Sirius. "Someone still could have told me after I entered Hogwarts."

Sirius sent Harry a sympathetic look. "You may not have been included in a lot of secrets before, but you are being told about more stuff now. Not many people know about the Order."

Dumbledore spoke up. "Sirius, I need either you or Arabella to contact Kingsley. Tell him that the Death Eaters are going to attack some Muggles tonight, but we don't know where. Severus informed me of this today. The Aurors will need to be prepared to go out at any time."

Sirius' face turned solemn. "I will go do that now. I'm sorry, Harry, but I will have to cut our talk short. I just wanted to check in on you. Bye, Harry."

"Bye, Sirius."

Harry sulkily looked at the Headmaster.

"Please don't be like this, Harry. If something big happens in the future, I will try to tell you about it. There are just some things that I can't tell you, however. Why don't you go out and fly again? You weren't out there long before."

Harry gave a loud sigh. "Alright. I'll be back in later."

As Harry left the room, he became aware of a slowly increasing pressure emanating from his scar. He knew that Voldemort and the Death Eaters were going to be active later, so he quickly dismissed the pain as he grabbed his Firebolt and went back into the sky.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out. I wanted to wait until finals were over. Now, I have about a month off until the next semester starts. I will try to update every now and then. I probably won't respond to every review that I receive unless you have a specific question, but I still want you to review. Your reviews let me know that you are still interested in the story. When no one is interested in my story anymore, that is when I won't bother to update. Thanks for all the reviews that I have gotten. I really appreciate them.

* * *

Harry spent the rest of the day relaxing around the house. He tried to keep his mind off of the Death Eater attack that was going to occur later, but his thoughts kept returning to it. The Headmaster seemed to know what Harry was thinking, so he tried to keep Harry entertained with stories and card games. Harry appreciated the effort that Dumbledore put into keeping him occupied; however, it didn't always work.

"If you have work that you need to do," Harry said, "you can go do it. I can find something to do by myself. Not that I don't like spending time with you, but I'm sure that you have more important things to do."

"Nonsense. You are important to me as well. I have all summer to finish my work. Besides, I was working while you were outside flying," Dumbledore replied.

Harry tried to stifle a yawn around eleven o'clock. He knew that he would have to go to bed soon, but he was afraid of what he would see. His eyes had been growing heavier, and he realized that he wouldn't last much longer. The Headmaster, seeing Harry's struggles, got up and gently pulled Harry to his feet.

"Come on, Harry. I know that you don't want to sleep, but your body needs rest."

Harry gave a weary nod as he trudged to his room. Dumbledore left him alone as Harry got ready for bed. Once Harry had crawled under the covers, Dumbledore came and sat beside him.

"I will be staying up tonight while waiting for Severus to report back to me. I will check in on you during the night and see how you are doing. If you have a nightmare, I will wake you up. If you have a vision, I will bring you some potions to help you," the Headmaster said.

"I hope that you aren't just staying up because of me," answered Harry, guilt creeping into his voice.

"No, I'm not. I used to stay awake a lot during Voldemort's first reign. Don't worry about it. I've gone plenty of nights without any sleep. What's one more?"

When Dumbledore finished talking, Harry sleepily said good night before quickly falling asleep. The Headmaster sat on the edge of Harry's bed for a few more seconds. He softly brushed Harry's bangs off of his forehead.

"I wish that I could save you from this pain. No fourteen-year old should have dreams about death and torture," Dumbledore whispered before quietly leaving the room.

* * *

Harry found himself in a huge stone room. The torches on the wall cast flickering shadows around the area. An elaborate throne sat squarely in the middle of the room. Cobwebs filled the corners of the room, and the floor was very grimy.

Harry wondered why he was in this room, but he didn't have to think about it for long. One of the wooden doors creaked open, and Voldemort walked in with his pet snake Nagini. Voldemort lazily sat down on the throne while Nagini lay curled up at his feet.

"_The plan is working out perfectly, Nagini. Everyone will soon see the awesome power of Lord Voldemort. Potter may have gotten away, but he can't stay hidden forever. The wizarding world will be lost with their symbol for the light gone," _Voldemort hissed with a twisted smile on his face.

A sudden knock interrupted Voldemort's conversation with his snake. Voldemort's red eyes flashed angrily, and he gave a hiss of annoyance. He pulled out his wand and slowly twirled it with his fingers.

"Enter," Voldemort replied to the visitor.

A Death Eater hesitantly entered the room. He was in full costume, so Harry was unable to figure out who it was. The figure walked over to the throne and lowered himself to one knee while bowing his head. Voldemort silently waited for the Death Eater to announce why he had come.

"My Lord, I have some good news for you. I will have it completed by tomorrow."

Harry was puzzled by what the Death Eater had said, but Voldemort seemed to understand. A look of triumph quickly flashed over Voldemort's face.

"You have done well and will be rewarded. Is everyone else ready to complete their part of that plan?" Voldemort's voice held a bit of a warning as if daring the man to say no.

"They are, my Lord."

"Good. Now come over here and give me your arm," Voldemort said.

The Death Eater hurriedly complied with the command. He pushed up the sleeve of his robe and exposed the Dark Mark. Voldemort stared hungrily at the mark before placing a finger on top of the brand. Harry's scar exploded in pain, and he tried to keep from screaming. He became aware of Death Eaters apparating into the room before he opened his eyes and saw the Headmaster beside his bed.

"Are you alright? What did you see?" Dumbledore questioned.

Harry closed his eyes and took a moment to compose himself. He had to take a few deep breaths and slow his quickly beating heart. The pain from his scar was gradually dulling down.

"I'm okay. I had a vision, but it wasn't of the attack. I saw Voldemort and another Death Eater talking before Voldemort called the others. This Death Eater was doing something for Voldemort, but I don't know who it was or what he was completing. He said he would have 'it' done tomorrow, whatever that means. Voldemort was happy about that. I'm sorry that I don't have any definite details to tell you."

"That's alright, Harry. I know that you did your best. I'm just glad that you didn't see the raid tonight. Why don't you stay up with me while I wait for Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Okay. I didn't want to go back to sleep anyway."

Harry and Dumbledore made their way into the living room and sat down. Harry glanced at the Headmaster out of the corner of his eye. Dumbledore had circles under his eyes, and he looked very weary.

"Why don't you go to sleep, sir?" asked Harry worriedly. "I can wake you up when Professor Snape gets here. It might be a while."

Dumbledore gave him a small smile. "Thank you for your concern, Harry, but I will be fine. I wouldn't want to leave you in here alone. How are you feeling? Are you in any pain? I have some potions that you can take if you need to."

"My scar did hurt earlier, but it is manageable now. I don't want to take anything."

Harry and Dumbledore continued to sit and make small talk until the sun began to come up. The rosy light filtered in through the window and lit up the room. The fireplace suddenly flamed up and Snape stepped out. He didn't look surprised to see Harry and Dumbledore sitting there waiting for him.

"How are you feeling, Potter?" Snape questioned. He paused before continuing to talk. "Did you see what happened?"

"Hello, Professor. I feel good now. I didn't see the raid, but I did see what happened before the attack."

"What exactly would that be?"

Harry once again explained what he had witnessed in his vision. A confused look passed over Snape's face as he tried to puzzle through what Harry had told him.

"I guess the look on your face means that you don't know what they were talking about either," Harry said.

Snape scowled before answering. "The attack that just occurred was the only plan that I was aware of. I don't think that the Dark Lord informs all of the Death Eaters about all of his plans though. Did you realize who the Death Eater was?"

"No. I couldn't see his face, and I didn't recognize his voice."

"Well, I guess that we won't know for a while then. Albus, I am ready to give my report. Potter, if you will excuse us," said Snape.

"Actually," Dumbledore interrupted, "if Harry wants to hear your report, I will allow him to stay."

Harry had gotten up in order to leave, but the Headmaster's words stopped him in his tracks. Both Harry and Snape were surprised and speechless for a few moments.

"Albus, I don't…"

Dumbledore interrupted Snape. "Well, Harry? What do you say?"

"I'll stay," Harry quietly replied, bewildered by the turn of events.

The Headmaster sensed the confusion in the room. "I just thought that Harry has earned the right to hear about what is going on. Please continue with your report, Severus."

"Well, the Dark Lord called us at about midnight. We went to some Muggle town. I didn't catch the name of the area. The Dark Lord had apparated to the town before us, and we just apparated to where he was. The new recruits had to torture and kill several Muggles in front of all of the Death Eaters in order to test their loyalty and courage."

Snape paused as if remembering the events all over again. "Once that…spectacle was over, the Death Eaters were set free to do whatever they wanted. I managed to separate myself from the rest of the group. I tried to warn any Muggle that I saw about what was going on, but Voldemort seemed to be carefully watching everything. Aurors showed up within a few hours; however, the Death Eaters had enough time to escape. Several people were killed before help arrived though, and a lot of the town was destroyed."

There was silence for a while as everyone tried to digest the story. Harry stared blankly into the flames of the fireplace. He knew that Snape had toned down the story because Harry was listening. Harry was glad because he didn't think that he wanted to hear all the grisly details of the attack. He vaguely realized that the Headmaster had put an arm around his shoulders.

"Are you okay, Potter?" Snape asked.

Harry jumped in his seat when he heard Snape's question. He hadn't been paying a lot of attention to what was going on once the story ended, so he hadn't seen the glances that the Headmaster and Snape had been giving him.

"I'm fine. I just don't see how anyone can enjoy doing that. When will all of this end?"

Neither Dumbledore nor Snape knew how to reply to that question, so they remained quiet. Words seemed inadequate in this situation. The Headmaster slowly ran his hand over Harry's back in a comforting gesture. Harry gave him a grateful smile.

Snape began to stand up after a moment. "I don't really have anything else to report. When we got back to the Dark Lord's lair, he complimented everyone on a job well done. He didn't say when he would call us again. I will return when I have more news for you."

After Snape had left, Harry and Dumbledore turned to each other.

"Everything will be okay, Harry," Dumbledore said although he had a hard time believing it himself.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything to do with Harry Potter.

A/N: A big thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I hope that you have a Merry Christmas!

* * *

Harry and Dumbledore trudged into the kitchen to grab some breakfast. They remained fairly quiet as they served themselves some biscuits, eggs, and bacon. After they had been eating for a few moments, a small brown owl flew through the kitchen window. Harry glanced up startled as Dumbledore took the owl's delivery. Harry hadn't seen any owls besides Hedwig since he had been here.

The Headmaster saw Harry's confused look. "This is The Daily Prophet."

"Since when do you receive The Daily Prophet?" Harry asked.

"I figured that we should be aware of what is going on in the wizarding world. This is Severus's copy. I told him to send me the newspaper every day once he was finished with it."

"I would like to see it when you are done," said Harry.

"Okay."

The only sound heard for the next several minutes was the rustling of the pages turning. Harry quickly finished eating and then patiently waited for his turn with the newspaper. Every now and then Dumbledore would shake his head at something in the paper or give a soft sigh. Once he had finished with the newspaper, Dumbledore handed it over to Harry.

Harry saw that the whole front page of The Daily Prophet was filled with news on the attack that had occurred during the night. He began to read it to see if there was any new information. Harry had only read a few sentences of the article before he jumped up, accidentally knocked his chair over, and gave a loud gasp. Dumbledore quickly rushed over to Harry's side in order to see what had caused that reaction. Harry's eyes were still glued to the front page of the newspaper.

"Harry, what's wrong?" the Headmaster worriedly asked.

"The attack. Hermione lives in that town," Harry dazedly answered.

"Are you sure?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Yes. Hermione has told us a lot of stories about her family and the town that she lives in. I hope that she is okay. We have to do something," replied Harry frantically.

"Harry, you need to calm down. We don't know that anything happened to her…"

"But she could have been hurt or killed," Harry retorted.

"True, but arguing with me isn't helping matters. I will apparate over to the town and see if I can locate her house. You will stay here," Dumbledore firmly said.

"I want to help. Hermione is my friend," answered Harry stubbornly.

"I know that she is, but I will not change my mind on this. There could still be some Death Eaters in the area. I am going to be as discreet as possible when I get there. I will make some cautious inquiries in order to find out exactly where she lives in that town. Once I have found the house, I will see if anyone is home."

"But-"

"No," Dumbledore sternly replied.

Harry's shoulders slumped forward, and he had a defeated look on his face. The Headmaster pulled Harry into a comforting hug. They stood that way for a few moments. Dumbledore rubbed Harry's back in a soothing manner, and Harry slowly relaxed into the embrace.

When Dumbledore spoke, his voice was more gentle. "I will be back as soon as I can, Harry. I know that this is hard on you, but I don't want to have to worry about you as well. If you stay here, I know that you will be alright. We don't know if the town is safe."

Harry slowly pulled away from the Headmaster with a sigh. "Please hurry back."

"I'll try."

After Dumbledore had disapparated, Harry wandered into the living room. He didn't know what he would do if Hermione was dead. She was one of his best friends. Even though he had more in common with Ron, she was an important part of the trio. Hermione had stood by him during the Triwizard Tournament when even Ron had turned his back on him.

Harry began to pace back and forth. He wished that someone was here to wait with him for the news. He didn't have anything to distract him from his thoughts; however, he knew that only news of Hermione's safety would be able to ease his troubled mind.

Glancing at the clock for the tenth time in several minutes, Harry gave a noise of frustration. Why did time have to pass so slowly? Harry felt like he would go crazy if he didn't hear anything soon. He would sit down every now and then, but he was only able to bear it for a few seconds before jumping up and pacing again.

After about half an hour, Dumbledore popped back into the house. Harry quickly rushed over to the Headmaster. He wanted to know what Dumbledore had found out, but he was almost afraid to ask. Dumbledore had a grave look on his face.

"Well?" Harry nervously demanded.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but no one was home," Dumbledore replied. He suddenly continued speaking when he saw Harry's crushed look. "That doesn't mean that they are dead, however. I asked some of the neighbors if they knew anything, but they said that they didn't remember seeing the Grangers for a while."

"What are we going to do now? We still don't know anything," said Harry. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and his body shuddered. "Do you think that the Death Eaters might have kidnapped them?"

"I don't think so. Severus would have known about that, and he would have told us. Besides, if the Grangers had been kidnapped, Voldemort would have found some way to let you know. He would have announced it so that all of the wizarding world knew. It would have been in the paper this morning as well."

Hope was beginning to fill Harry, but he still wanted to know exactly what had happened to his friend. She had just seemed to disappear.

Dumbledore started to talk again. "I am going to visit the Weasleys' house right now and see if Ron knows anything about Hermione's whereabouts. Even if Ron doesn't know where she is, his dad might have heard something."

"Can I please go with you this time?" Harry begged. "There aren't going to be any Death Eaters at the Weasleys."

The Headmaster looked like he wanted to turn Harry down, but Harry's eyes began to fill with tears and he glanced pleadingly at Dumbledore.

"Alright. You can come, but it is only this one time."

"Yes!" Harry exclaimed.

"We can't stay long though. When I say that it is time to go, I don't want you to argue with me." After seeing Harry's nod of agreement, Dumbledore continued speaking. "If you will just grab my arm, I will apparate us into their house."

When Harry and Dumbledore appeared in the living room of the Weasleys' home, they saw that Mrs. Weasley had been sitting in a rocking chair knitting. She leaped up and pulled her wand out when she heard the sound of apparition; however, she slowly began to relax as she realized who was standing in the room with her.

"HARRY!"

Harry was startled when she ran across the room and engulfed him in a big hug. Apparently the rest of the house heard Mrs. Weasley shriek because the pounding of feet was heard coming down the stairs. Soon the room was filled with people who began to cluster around Harry and the Headmaster.

"How are you?"

"We were so worried when we heard about the attack on the Dursleys."

"I'm glad that you're here."

Everyone ceased their rapid chattering when Dumbledore loudly cleared his throat. They all turned to see what the Headmaster wanted to say.

"Have you heard about the attack that happened during the night?" Dumbledore questioned.

Mrs. Weasley became the spokesperson for the group. "Arthur received several urgent Floo calls during the night from Order members. They explained to us what was going on. He went to work earlier than usual this morning to see if there was anything that he could help do."

Harry looked over at Ron. "Did you know that Hermione lives in that town? Professor Dumbledore went there this morning, but no one was at her house. We wanted to know if you knew anything about where she is."

All of the Weasleys had gotten a horrified look when they first heard Harry's news, but Ron suddenly looked somewhat relieved.

"Hermione went on vacation with her family two days ago. She owled me before she left. If she had been home, she could have been killed."

Everyone relaxed upon hearing the good news. Dumbledore could tell that the Weasleys wanted to begin talking with Harry again, so he held up his hand for silence.

"I know that you haven't seen Harry in a while, but we really must go. I don't know when you will be able to visit with each other again."

Harry turned to the Headmaster. "Sir, I know that you said I shouldn't argue with you about leaving, but could I please write Hermione a quick note? I won't be very long, and Ron can deliver it for me later."

Dumbledore thought about it for a few seconds. "You have five minutes. After that, we will be leaving."

Mrs. Weasley hurriedly grabbed some parchment, ink, and quills for Harry to use. She ushered him over to the table and gently pushed him into a chair. Harry began to write his letter.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I am glad to hear that you are okay. I don't know if you have heard or not, but last night Death Eaters attacked the town where you live. I was really worried about you when I found out where the attack had taken place. It's too bad that you won't be able to write back to me. I don't know what will happen to you now, but I think that everything will turn out alright. Please enjoy the rest of your vacation, and don't worry too much about what it going on here._

_Harry_

After Harry had finished writing, he sealed the letter and passed it over to Ron. Harry got up from the table and gave a hug to Mrs. Weasley.

"You take care, dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

"I will."

Harry said goodbye to the rest of the family before grabbing Dumbledore's arm again and disapparating. Once they had reappeared in the Headmaster's house, Harry flopped onto the couch and stared into space.

"What's the matter, Harry? Hermione is safe, and you go to visit the Weasleys."

"I know that, but it can't just be coincidence that the Death Eaters attacked the same town that one of my best friends lives in," Harry responded.

Dumbledore gave Harry a knowing look before sitting beside him and putting an arm around his shoulders.

"You are feeling guilty about this, aren't you?"

Harry didn't reply, but the Headmaster could tell that he had been correct. Dumbledore continued to speak.

"I think that the attack _was_ a coincidence. If they had attacked that town just because they wanted Hermione, they wouldn't have attacked while she was away. They would have been watching her house in order to determine if she was home or not. Also, they would have attacked her house first. When I got to her house, it was perfectly fine. The Death Eaters never got to her neighborhood."

"What are Hermione and her parents going to do now?" asked Harry. "It might not be safe for them to go back to that house. The Death Eaters may not have known that Hermione lived there when they attacked, but they may figure it out later."

"When they return from vacation, someone will speak to them. The Grangers can stay in their house if they wish, but if they would rather go somewhere safer, that can be arranged as well."

Harry was glad that Hermione was fine, but he knew that this attack was only the beginning. The Death Eaters had gotten a taste of torture and blood; they wouldn't be stopping now until something major occurred.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter related. The plot is the only thing that is mine.

A/N: Thank you to all of my fabulous reviewers. I love hearing from you.

* * *

Harry could see the Death Eaters converging on a single house in the neighborhood. Except for the swishing of cloaks and the sound of feet running across the paved driveway, there was silence in the air. The moon cast a pale light upon the area, illuminating the events which were unfolding. Harry reluctantly followed the Death Eaters through the open front door.

Upon entering the living room, Harry saw that the Death Eaters were gathered in a circle around a group of people. Curious, Harry made his way towards the huddled group in the center. He gasped when he saw that Hermione was clinging to her mother while her father tried to shield both of them with his body. The father tried to plead with the Death Eaters to let his family go, but the only response that he got was loud, harsh laughter.

Harry stared horrified at the scene in front of him. He didn't understand how this could be happening. Her house had been safe just yesterday, and he had even sent her a letter. As Harry began to think harder about the situation, he realized that this couldn't be real. Hermione was on vacation with her parents. The Death Eaters wouldn't have been able to track her down; they wouldn't have had enough time.

With these thoughts rushing through Harry's mind, the scene began to fade away. Harry slowly opened his eyes and glanced around at his surroundings. He knew that he had just been dreaming about what could have happened yesterday, but it still took a minute for everything to sink in. Relief started to flood over him when he realized that everyone was safe at the moment.

Glancing at the clock, Harry saw that it was still a little bit early, but he knew that he would never be able to go back to sleep. Harry lingered in bed for a few more seconds before climbing out of the bed with a groan. He quickly threw on some clothes and then crept quietly down the hall towards the kitchen.

Harry figured that he could go ahead and start cooking breakfast. He tried not to make a lot of noise, but that was ruined once he accidentally dropped the baking pan he had been carrying. Harry froze for a second, hoping that the Headmaster was sleeping heavily today. While Harry began to pick up the pan and clean up the water from the floor, Dumbledore hurried into the kitchen.

"Are you alright?" the Headmaster asked.

"Yeah," replied Harry. "I dropped this pan. I'm sorry that I woke you up."

"Don't worry about it. What are you doing up this early?"

"I had a nightmare, and I couldn't go back to sleep. I haven't been awake very long," Harry said.

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and vanished the water that was still on the floor. Harry gave him a grateful smile before wandering back over to the food cooking on the stove. The Headmaster walked over to the kitchen table and relaxed in a chair.

"Was your nightmare very bad?" Dumbledore questioned.

Harry briefly glanced over at the Headmaster before flipping over the bacon. "It wasn't too bad, actually. I figured out that it was a nightmare before I woke up. The nightmare did kind of scare me at first, but once I realized that it wasn't real, I was okay."

"When the seven days are up, do you want to take the Dreamless Sleep potion again?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry was silent for a few minutes while he pondered the question. The potion was very useful, but he didn't want to become dependent on it. Harry wanted to work out the nightmares on his own without the effort of a potion. Besides, the nightmares were getting better, and the talks with the Headmaster were very helpful.

"I don't think that I will use it again. If the nightmares get worse, I might consider using it; however, I would like to try not taking it just yet," Harry replied.

Dumbledore proudly gazed at Harry. He was glad that Harry was willing to face his fears head on. Not everyone would have the courage to do that if they had gone through everything that Harry had experienced.

"I need to go to Hogwarts today in order to do some work," Dumbledore said. "If you want, you can come with me."

Harry looked up startled from where he was gathering drinks out of the fridge. "I would love to get out of this house for a little while. Don't get me wrong, I like this house, but I need to go somewhere else for a bit."

"Then it is settled. You can wander around Hogwarts while I work, but I want you to wear your Invisibility Cloak. I don't expect anyone to be there today; however, teachers do pop in every now and then. We will leave after we eat breakfast."

Harry eagerly rushed through his food, but once he was finished, he had to impatiently wait while the Headmaster took his time in eating. Even though he was going to be on his own for most of the day, Harry was looking forward to seeing Hogwarts again.

Once the table had been cleared of food and dishes, Harry quickly grabbed his Invisibility Cloak from his bedroom and tucked it under his arm. He went into the living room and met Dumbledore beside the fireplace.

"After you," Dumbledore said as he handed Harry the Floo powder.

Harry soon found himself back in the Headmaster's office. He drifted over to Fawkes's perch and began to pet the beautiful bird. Harry glanced back over at the fireplace once he heard the Headmaster arrive.

"I don't know how long this will take me, but I will send Fawkes to get you when I am done. Have fun and stay out of trouble," Dumbledore said with a small smile.

Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak over his head before walking down the stairs and into the hallway. He decided to visit the library first and see if he could find anything interesting to read. While Harry was wandering through the halls on his way to the library, he was amazed by the silence that permeated the air. Usually the halls were full of students and ringing with the sounds of chatter and laughter.

Upon reaching the library, Harry roamed through the different aisles. Every now and then a title would catch his attention, but he would become bored soon after starting the book. Harry finally decided that he had had enough of the library; he wanted to go outside and get some fresh air.

Once Harry had gotten outside, he sat in the shade of a large tree and pulled out his mirror. Because of his nightmare, Harry had the urge to see and talk to Sirius. Harry knew that Sirius was okay, but he still worried about him sometimes. Sirius was an escaped convict, so it wasn't very safe for Sirius to be seen by anyone.

"Sirius Black," Harry called.

He waited for a few seconds before Sirius's face filled the mirror.

"Hey, kiddo," Sirius said. "How are you?"

"I'm doing okay. I'm actually at Hogwarts right now. Professor Dumbledore had some work to do. What are you up to?"

"I'm still at Arabella's house, but I think that I will be leaving here in a day or two. I still have a couple more people left to visit before I can go back to my house," answered Sirius.

"The Headmaster said that I could stay with you for a while once you are at your house. I can't wait to see you," Harry replied with a smile.

"My mission shouldn't take too much longer."

Harry's face became solemn when he remembered the events from yesterday. "Sirius, I wanted to tell you what I learned about the Death Eater attack."

"Did you witness it?" Sirius worriedly questioned.

"No, but I heard about it from Professor Snape." Harry frowned when he saw the look of disgust on Sirius's face. He continued speaking after a second. "I learned from the newspaper that the attack happened in the town where Hermione lived. Thankfully she was away on vacation."

A grave look settled on Sirius when he heard Harry's news. "It doesn't seem like anyone is safe anymore. I'm glad that you are staying with Albus, Harry. I think that he will watch out for you."

After a few moments of silence, Harry began to talk again. "I guess that I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. I just wanted to see how you were. I'll talk to you later, Sirius. Bye."

"Later, Harry."

Harry stood up from his spot under the tree and stretched. While he was working the knots out of his body, Harry tried to decide where he wanted to go next. He finally rearranged the Invisibility Cloak on his body and headed back to the castle. Harry wanted to explore Hogwarts for secret passages. He decided to go to the dungeons first since he hadn't spotted many secret areas there on the Marauder's Map.

As Harry was wandering through the hallways of the dungeons, he spotted a sliver of light coming from underneath the door to the Potion's room. Wanting to know what was going on, Harry quietly walked over to the door and slowly opened it. Two cauldrons were set up over a fire while Professor Snape was adding ingredients to a third cauldron on the countertop. The Potion's Master was too busy working to notice that his door had been mysteriously opened by an unseen person.

Harry walked over to his teacher and remained silent. He didn't want to startle Professor Snape and cause the cauldron to accidentally explode. When Snape was at a stopping point, Harry decided that it was safe to talk.

"Hello, Professor."

Snape quickly glanced up and began looking puzzled around the room. "Potter! Where are you?"

Harry sheepishly took off his Invisibility Cloak. "Oh! Sorry. I forgot that I was wearing the Cloak."

A smirk broke out on Snape's face. "Why are you here?"

"I was bored, so I decided to wander around the dungeons…" Harry answered.

Snape interrupted him. "I meant, why are you at Hogwarts?"

Harry's cheeks turned red. "Oh. Professor Dumbledore is working here, so I tagged along. What are you doing here?"

"I'm plotting how I can take over the world," Snape sarcastically answered with a roll of his eyes. "What does it look like I'm doing, Potter?"

Ignoring his teacher's sarcasm, Harry glanced into the three cauldrons. "I can see that you are making potions, of course, but what kind are you making?"

"The Hospital Wing needs many potions throughout the school year. It is up to me to make them all. I'm brewing Blood Replenisher right now."

"Do you need any help?" Harry asked.

Snape raised an eyebrow at Harry's question. "You want to help me make a potion?"

"I have nothing better to do, and I'm bored. I can chop your ingredients for you."

Professor Snape gave Harry a calculating look before pointing at a stool. He got out the ingredients for Harry and handed him a knife to cut them with. Harry plopped himself down on the stool and placed the first ingredient in front of him. He then looked to Snape for instructions.

"This should be an easy enough task even for you to accomplish. I just want you to cut the ingredients into pieces that are a quarter of an inch long."

After watching Harry carefully for a few minutes and making sure that he did it correctly, Snape walked back over to the other cauldrons and checked on the bubbling potions. Harry concentrated on the task that he had been assigned, but he quickly grew tired of the silence in the room.

"Do you have a potion's lab at your house, Professor?" questioned Harry.

Snape continued to stir one of the potions as he answered Harry. "I do, but I prefer the lab here. This one is much bigger than the one at home. Plus, if I am making potions for the Hospital Wing, it makes more sense to brew them here than having to transfer them from my home to Hogwarts."

"Do you come here often during the summer?" Harry asked.

"It is quiet here during the summer, and I enjoy that. Sometimes a lot of people get in touch with me at my house: Order members and Death Eaters. It's just easier to come here and get away from them all," Snape replied.

"Do you want me to leave you alone? I can leave if you just want to be by yourself."

"You can stay. You are helping me get these potions done quicker than I normally would."

A noise suddenly interrupted the conversation. From Professor Snape's office came the sound of flames suddenly bursting to life in the fireplace. In Harry's rush to stand up and pull the Invisibility Cloak back over his head, he accidentally knocked over the stool he had been using. Once Snape was positive that Harry was completely covered up, he pulled out his wand and turned towards the door to his office. Within a few seconds, the door was pulled open and Lucius Malfoy sauntered into the room.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and friends. Too bad.

A/N: School starts back for me on the 17th. I don't know how often I will be able to update once that happens. I'll try not to leave you hanging for too long, though. Thanks to my reviewers.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy glanced at Snape for a moment before taking a long look around the room. His eyes halted for a few moments on the stool which was lying on the ground and the knife that had fallen beside it. Snape impatiently waited for Malfoy to explain why he had arrived at Hogwarts. Malfoy's careful examination of the room only took a few seconds before he turned back to Snape.

"Hello, Severus."

"Lucius."

Malfoy's eyes wandered again to the stool. As he stared at the object, his suspicious voice filled the room. "I thought I heard voices in here a minute ago. Is someone else around?"

Snape kept his expression neutral while he answered the question. "The only one that I know of that is in the school is the Headmaster. I was reciting the instructions to myself for the potions that I was brewing. That is what you heard."

"I don't see any books open."

"I don't need to have a book in front of me while I work," Snape said with a smirk on his face.

"Yes, of course. Did I startle you when I Flooed in?" Lucius asked, his gaze finally turning from the stool to look at the Potions Master.

"I was cutting up ingredients when you arrived. I wanted to know who was coming to see me. The stool and knife accidentally fell to the floor," replied Snape.

"I see. I never knew you were clumsy." After a short pause, Lucius's sneering voice continued speaking. "So you rushed all the way over here just to greet me? How charming."

Snape grew tired of this interrogation. "Was there something specific that you wanted? In case you haven't noticed, I am a little busy right now. If you just came to talk, that will have to wait until another time."

Malfoy began slowly wandering around the lab and inspecting everything. Harry, who was still under the Invisibility Cloak, had to silently and carefully walk away from Malfoy. Harry didn't have a whole lot more room to move, so he hoped that Malfoy would stop approaching him and go back over to Snape soon.

Malfoy stopped moving a few inches from where Harry was standing. Harry held his breath and tried to stand as still as he possibly could. If he was to be found here, the consequences would be disastrous for himself and his professor. Harry slowly began to relax as Malfoy continued his exploration of the classroom.

"Our Lord asked me to come here and deliver a list of potions to you. He wants these to be made within five days," Malfoy said as he handed over a piece of parchment.

"Since when are you his messenger boy?" Snape asked.

Malfoy gazed hatefully at Snape for a moment before calming down. "Are you questioning our Lord, Severus? You know he doesn't like it when people do that."

"No, I wasn't questioning the Dark Lord. I was just wondering why he sent you. Surely you have more important things to do, and you are one of his favorites. He could have sent someone that has a lower ranking than you to fulfill this task," Snape said, trying to butter up Malfoy.

Malfoy swelled up at the compliments. "We aren't always able to figure out why our Lord does something, but his ways are the best…"

Malfoy was cut off when flames suddenly burst in the middle of the room. Once the flames died down, Fawkes was visible. The phoenix led out a beautiful song before flying over to a table near where Harry was hidden. Harry mentally groaned and wished that Dumbledore had picked a better time to quit working than right now. He hoped that Fawkes would be smart enough not to expose him to Malfoy.

Snape's face gave an almost imperceptible twitch at the sight of Fawkes, and Malfoy raised his eyebrows in surprise. The room was silent for a few moments as everyone stood still in shock. Malfoy finally turned to Snape for an explanation.

"What is going on? Why is that bird here?"

"That is Albus's phoenix so my guess is that he wants me for some reason," Snape explained. "I shouldn't keep him waiting for long, so you should probably leave."

"I will want to see you again soon so that we can finish our discussion. Make sure to have those potions done in five days. You know what will happen if you are late. Goodbye, Severus," Lucius said as he walked over to Snape's office door.

Once Snape was sure that Malfoy was gone, he turned to where Harry had last disappeared. "You can come out now."

Harry took off the Invisibility Cloak, and Snape had to refocus his gaze towards Harry's new position. Harry folded his Cloak and put it under his arm. Once he had done that, he went over to the stool and knife. He placed the knife carefully on the counter and set the stool back in its proper place.

"Fawkes came to get me. It means that Professor Dumbledore is ready to go back to his house. Are you going up to see him now, or do you want me to deliver a message to him?" asked Harry.

"I need to finish the potions that I was working on, and then I have to start on the potions for the Dark Lord. Some of those are difficult and will take some time to finish. Just tell him that I will be by to visit his house probably tomorrow. I figure that you will tell him about what happened today, but I will tell him again just in case I have something to add."

"Okay, Professor. Bye," Harry said.

Harry started to walk towards the classroom door, but Fawkes flew in front of him. Harry wasn't sure what Fawkes wanted, but he finally figured it out once Fawkes swished his tail feathers. Harry hesitantly grabbed onto the phoenix's tail. Once he had done that, Fawkes flashed them both out of the dungeons and into Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore looked over at them when they appeared. "It took you a little while to get here."

"I'll explain once we get back to the house," Harry answered.

"Alright. Grab some Floo powder and head home."

When Harry landed in the living room, he settled himself on the couch and waited for the Headmaster. He knew that they would be having a long conversation about what had happened down in the dungeons. Once Dumbledore relaxed on the couch beside Harry, Harry began to explain what had happened that afternoon. After he was finished with his story, Dumbledore started to question him.

"Do you know what kinds of potions that Severus is being requested to make?"

"No, but Professor Snape said that he would be here probably tomorrow. Do you think that Malfoy suspects that Professor Snape isn't a loyal Death Eater? Whenever he came into the room, he kept asking suspicious questions and kept staring around the lab."

"From what you have told me, it does seem that Severus will have to be more cautious than he already is," Dumbledore answered.

Harry looked up at the clock after a wide yawn crossed his face. He was shocked to notice how late it was. They had missed dinner without even realizing it.

"How about we fix something quick to eat, and then you can go to bed?" Dumbledore asked.

"Alright."

After eating a light meal consisting of a sandwich and some fruit, Harry bade the Headmaster good night. He wandered into his room and quickly got ready to go to sleep. Once he had finished his nighttime rituals, he crawled into bed and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Harry found himself in the same room in which he had last witnessed Voldemort talking to Nagini and a mysterious Death Eater. This time, there were several Death Eaters standing silently around Voldemort, who sat on his throne. Voldemort seemed pleased about something, which Harry knew could not mean anything good.

Even though Harry couldn't see the faces of the Death Eaters, he could tell that they seemed excited about the events which were about to occur. Harry hoped that they wouldn't be torturing or killing anyone while he was forced to watch.

Voldemort finally looked up from his place on the throne and locked gazes with the two Death Eaters standing near the door. "Bring the prisoner in."

The two followers bowed deeply to their master before exiting the room. Silence continued to reign, and Harry began to feel nervous. After a few moments, he was able to hear the clinking of chains as they neared the room. When the prisoner was pushed into the center of the room, Harry couldn't make out who it was at first because of the shadows dominating the area. Once one of the Death Eaters shifted a bit, the flames of the torches on the wall cast a bit of light onto the person. Harry gave a startled cry and stumbled back a few steps. He started to shake his head disbelievingly; breathing became a difficult task.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Who would have ever known that we would catch the famous Sirius Black?" Voldemort taunted.

Sirius stared defiantly up into those burning red eyes. Without breaking the gaze, Sirius spat a big wad of phlegm at Voldemort's feet. Voldemort's eyes flashed angrily for a second before a smirk settled across his features. The Death Eaters held their wands pointed down at Sirius just itching to try out a few curses.

"You will _never_ get any information out of me," Sirius retorted.

"Are you completely sure about that? My followers can be very…persuasive." A large smile broke out on Voldemort's face.

As the Death Eaters began to close in on Sirius, Harry felt himself start to wake up. He frantically tried to remain with his godfather, but it was no use. Harry didn't want to see Sirius tortured, yet he desperately wanted to know what was going on.

Harry began to moan loudly as he became more aware of his surroundings. Once he realized that the Headmaster was trying to wake him, Harry bolted up. Dumbledore looked worriedly into Harry's wild eyes.

"Harry, are you okay? What did you see?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Sirius. He's got Sirius."


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: This story is based on the amazing characters created by the wonderful writer JK Rowling.

A/N: I just want to say thanks to all of my reviewers. Here is the next chapter, and I hope that you enjoy it.

* * *

Harry tried to frantically get up after making his pronouncement of Sirius's capture, but Dumbledore firmly tried to keep Harry in the bed. After a few moments of struggle, Harry slumped against the pillow with his eyes staring off into space.

"Harry, now that you are a little more calm, I need you to tell me exactly what you saw," Dumbledore said as he cautiously released his hold on Harry's shoulders.

A few tears welled up in Harry's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He took several deep breaths before slowly relating his vision to the Headmaster. Harry had to stop his tale a few times, yet Dumbledore would patiently wait for Harry to continue speaking. Once Harry had finished talking, he started trying to get up again.

"Where are you going, Harry?" Dumbledore questioned.

Harry rifled in his desk drawer before he found what he was looking for. He took out the mirror that Sirius had given him and was about to use it, but Dumbledore quickly pulled it from his grasp. The Headmaster put it in his pocket; however, Harry still attempted to retrieve it.

"Hey! Give that back. It's mine. I have to see what is going on with Sirius. I want to know if he is okay," Harry yelled.

"Harry, I don't think that it would be wise to use the mirror if Sirius has really been captured…"

Harry stopped trying to gain back the mirror. He stood speechless for a second before angrily replying. "What do you mean 'if'? I know what I saw. My visions have always been true. The Death Eaters looked like they were about to torture him. We can't just stand here doing nothing."

"We will attempt to discover Sirius's whereabouts, but we will only use the mirror as a last resort. Harry, I know that your visions have always been true in the past; however, this could have just been a nightmare. You just talked to Sirius while you were at Hogwarts, and I know that you worry about him sometimes. Seeing him could have brought out your concerns towards him," Dumbledore explained. "If Sirius really has been captured, however, you wouldn't want to alert Voldemort to the fact that you are in contact with him. We may have to use the mirror, but not right away."

"This felt too real to be a nightmare," argued Harry. "I know that my nightmares have seemed real before, but this felt different. What are we going to do if we aren't using the mirror?"

"I will try to contact Arabella first and see if Sirius is still staying there since he told you that he would be leaving soon. If he has already left in order to visit another house, I will ask her if she knows who he is visiting next. I will then contact that person," Dumbledore answered.

"Will you be using the fireplace?" asked Harry.

"Yes."

Harry quickly headed into the living room and settled on the couch. The Headmaster knelt in front of the fireplace, threw in the Floo Powder, yelled out his destination, and stuck his head in the flames. Harry fidgeted in his seat while he waited for Dumbledore to finish his conversation. Even though Dumbledore hadn't been talking for a long time, Harry had gotten tired of waiting. He stood up and began to pace, occasionally glancing over at the Headmaster's body. Finally, Dumbledore pulled his head back into the living room and walked over to sit on the couch.

"Well?" Harry impatiently demanded.

"Sirius left Arabella's not long after the two of you talked. Arabella said that he was going to visit Mundugus Fletcher next. She thinks that Sirius should be there by now."

After he was through explaining, Dumbledore went back over to the fireplace and repeated the procedure again. The Headmaster's conversation was much shorter than the one with Mrs. Figg. Harry, once again seated on the couch, looked fearfully at Dumbledore's serious face.

"Mundugus says that he has not seen Sirius; however, I don't think that you should start panicking just yet. There are many things that could have happened to him…"

"Like being captured by Death Eaters," Harry bitterly replied.

Dumbledore silently stared at Harry until Harry began to feel a bit uncomfortable. Harry quietly muttered "sorry" which caused the Headmaster to resume his speech.

"As I was saying, Sirius could have gotten lost. He might have stopped somewhere to spend the night. There are probably other reasons that he hasn't reached Mundugus's house yet. I'm going to try to contact Severus, however, and see if he knows anything," Dumbledore said.

"If there really is a Death Eater meeting, though, Professor Snape isn't going to be home. Even if he isn't home, how will we know whether he is with Voldemort or somewhere else that is completely unrelated?" asked Harry.

"Let me just try to contact him first."

Harry anxiously waited to see what the verdict would be as Dumbledore used the Floo powder for the third time that night. Once Dumbledore had pulled back out of the flames, Harry alternated between searching the Headmaster's face for information and glancing at the fireplace. Dumbledore didn't say anything, but the flames shot up after a few moments and Snape stepped out.

Snape brushed a few pieces of ash off of his robes before looking over at Harry sitting on the couch. He seemed to be assessing Harry's current condition. Harry started to talk, but he was stopped when Snape pulled a vial out of his robes and handed it over.

"What's this?" asked Harry.

"It is a Calming Draught. You look like you could use it. Are you in any pain? I can give you something for that as well," Snape answered.

Harry examined the potion for a second before downing the contents with a grimace. He thought that he had been handling himself fairly well considering the circumstances, but he knew that it was probably going to be a long night. He would need the potion to help him get through whatever they ended up discovering.

"No, I'm not in pain," Harry said.

"Good. Now, can someone please explain this situation more thoroughly? All you had time to tell me, Albus, was that it contained Potter, a vision, the Dark Lord, and Black."

Harry once again began telling what he had witnessed while asleep. He was glad that the potion allowed him to share his story without hesitating or needing to take a break. Snape sat on one of the chairs while listening intently to Harry talk. Harry watched Snape's face for any reaction to the story, but Snape continued to keep his face impassive. Snape only spoke up after Harry had stopped speaking.

"I don't know why you had this dream, but it isn't true. If Black had been captured, I would be there with the rest of the Death Eaters instead of sitting here with you. I haven't felt the Dark Mark burn all day. The Dark Lord would have called all of his Death Eaters immediately if Black had been taken, not only to boast, but also to retrieve the valuable information that Black holds, especially about you," explained Snape.

Harry carefully listened to Snape's speech. What Snape had said made sense, but Harry would feel much better if he could just _talk_ to Sirius. Hopefully Dumbledore would say that he could use the mirror soon.

"Professor Dumbledore said that it might just have been a nightmare. Do you think that's what happened?" Harry questioned.

"Well…" Snape hesitated. "That is a feasible guess. There is something else, however, that could have happened, but I almost don't want to share it."

"What is it, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"The Dark Lord may have discovered the connection with Potter. He hasn't said anything to the Death Eaters, but it could be a recent discovery or he could be keeping the information quiet from everyone. If he had the knowledge of the deep connection between you two, Potter, it is possible that the Dark Lord could have sent you a false vision," Snape answered.

Harry gaped at Snape's reply. "How is that even possible? He could really do that?"

"It is possible, but I don't know if it is probable. Albus, you could be right in saying that it was only a nightmare. If I was correct in what I said, though, there would be dire consequences. You would have a hard time discerning what was a true vision from what wasn't. The Dark Lord would constantly try to play with your mind. I guess that we will just have to wait and see."

Stunned, Harry slumped back against the couch. Everything was becoming even more complicated than he had ever dreamed it could be. He was willing to go along with the nightmare theory, but Snape had managed to bring a whole new perspective which Harry didn't know if he was comfortable thinking about. Having to witness visions every once in a while was bad enough, but not knowing if they were true would be torture.

Silence filled the room as everyone thought about this new revelation. Dumbledore leaned over and placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder while Snape tactfully glanced away.

"Professor, can I use the mirror now to try and contact Sirius?" Harry asked Dumbledore. "It was been over an hour since I had the dream. I won't be able to go to sleep anymore tonight or feel any better if I don't have absolute proof that he is okay."

Dumbledore knew that Harry needed to do this, so he gave a nod of approval while pulling out the mirror. As Harry started to eagerly reach for it, Dumbledore held the mirror out of Harry's reach.

"There are a few things that we must discuss first. We don't know where Sirius is, so don't reveal too much information. You never know who could be around. His area may not be secure. I would only trust the security around another Order member's house. Don't use the word 'vision' in regards to your dream. If you want him to know about it, use code. You could say that you just had a nightmare. Sirius will understand."

After Dumbledore had finished his speech and Harry had agreed to the conditions, the mirror was passed over into Harry's hands. Harry kept staring at the mirror while turning it over repeatedly in his hands. Harry wanted to talk to Sirius, but he was nervous about what he would find out. Snape was apparently getting agitated with Harry's waiting because he impatiently cleared his throat. Harry jumped slightly at the loud noise, but he realized that he needed to get over his fears. Taking a deep breath, Harry steeled himself for what he might find.

"Sirius Black," Harry called.

The screen remained blank. Harry hoped that Sirius would pick up the mirror and answer soon. He glanced fearfully at Dumbledore and Snape, but neither one of them were able to give any reassurance. They looked like they didn't understand why Sirius wasn't answering either. Just when Harry was about to give up, he saw a face slowly shimmer onto the screen.

Harry felt a lump sitting in his throat. Sirius looked alright. Before Harry had been sucked out of his dream, he had witnessed the Death Eaters descending on Sirius. If that had really happened, Sirius would probably have been pretty banged up; however, Sirius looked exactly like he always had. There weren't any bruises, cuts, or scrapes marring Sirius's face.

"Sirius," Harry breathlessly whispered. "I'm so glad you're okay. I had a _bad_ _dream_ tonight and wanted to talk to you."

"Hello, H-Harry. What was your dream about?"

Harry looked puzzled and concerned. "Why did you stutter, Sirius? Are you alright?"

Sirius coughed before answering Harry's question. "Fine. It's just that it's late, and I didn't expect to see you. I was worried that something was wrong."

"That's okay. My _dream_ isn't really important anymore. It just scared me a bit. I'll let you get back to sleep, okay? We can talk another time. Sorry to wake you up, Sirius. Bye."

After Sirius left, Harry closed his eyes and relaxed against the cushions. The whole night had been physically and emotionally draining. Dumbledore's hand started gently squeezing Harry's shoulder in comfort.

"Professors, you were right. Sirius is okay. My dream wasn't true," Harry said.

"Harry, if you have any more dreams like this, I want you to come to me immediately. I usually hear you whenever you have a nightmare or vision, but in case I don't, come find me. Even if the vision isn't true, I can help you. This dream has really upset you," Dumbledore replied.

"I wish that I could give you some Dreamless Sleep potion, Potter, but it has not been a week yet since you last took it. It would be better to suffer a few nightmares than risk taking the potion," Snape explained.

Harry gave a small grateful smile. "Thanks anyway, Professor. I really appreciate it. I'll be okay."

"If you have no more need of my assistance, I think that I will head on home. I will keep you aware, Albus, of any significant information I acquire."

After Snape had left, Harry and Dumbledore turned to each other. They stayed silent for a few more moments while sitting beside each other on the couch.

"Harry, do you plan on getting any more sleep tonight?" Dumbledore asked.

"Probably not. It will be breakfast time pretty soon anyway. You can go back to bed if you want. I just want to stay here for a little while and think."

Usually Dumbledore would have protested and stayed in the living room with Harry, but the Headmaster could tell that Harry just wanted to be alone for a little while. He would respect Harry's wishes.

"Alright, Harry. If you need me, don't hesitate to get me," Dumbledore said. He gave Harry a quick hug before leaving.

Harry stared blankly into the fireplace. He had seen that Sirius was okay, even if his godfather had acted a little strange in the beginning. Now all the Harry had to wonder about was the stupid dream. Had the dream been a nightmare, a false planted vision, or something else?


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: JK Rowling brought us these magnificent characters. I'm just messing with them for a little while.

A/N: I cannot believe that I was able to update this so quickly. I have been super busy with trying to stay caught up on all of my readings for class. I hope that I can update again soon because you may not like where I left this chapter off. Anyway, thank you to my reviewers.

* * *

Harry was exhausted the morning after his nightmare of Sirius's capture, but he was determined to make it through the day. He sluggishly moved to the kitchen in order to prepare breakfast for himself and the Headmaster. As Harry was occupied with cooking the food, Dumbledore walked through the door.

"Good morning, Harry. I hope that you managed to get some rest last night. You saw that Sirius was safe. He wouldn't want you to lose sleep on his account," Dumbledore said.

"Morning. I didn't get any sleep, but that's okay. I'll have plenty of opportunities to sleep in the rest of the summer."

Harry brought the food over to the table and sat down. "How many more people does Sirius have to visit? I asked him before, but he didn't give me an exact number."

"I believe that he only has to see Mundugus Fletcher and Hestia Jones. He should be at Grimmauld Place within a week."

"It doesn't seem like his mission took very long to complete," Harry commented.

"He was sometimes able to contact the Order members through other methods than running around in his Animagus form. He would also use the Floo or have someone Apparate him to the next house. Sometimes it was just more practical to do things the harder way though," Dumbledore replied.

Dumbledore could tell that Harry was apt to brood over the nightmare if they continued with this topic, so he tried to steer the conversation into lighter territory. Harry knew what the Headmaster was trying to accomplish, but he decided to go along with it anyway. Harry was actually glad that Dumbledore was looking out for him. Talking about simple things like Quidditch and Hogwarts eventually caused Harry to almost forget about what had happened in the night.

"How is your homework coming?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Pretty good. I finished Defense Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures already. I still have a long time to finish the rest," answered Harry.

"I wouldn't advise putting off Potions until last. Even though Severus has been more civil towards you, he wouldn't like it if you rushed through his assignment and did a poor job," Dumbledore replied.

Harry good-naturedly rolled his eyes. Potions would always be one of his worst subjects no matter how much time he spent on it. Since he had been getting along with Snape, he wouldn't want to disappoint the man; however, he figured that his professor should know by now how hopeless he was in the class.

"I have some work that I need to do," Dumbledore said. "You can go flying if you want to. If not, I'm sure that you can find some way to amuse yourself."

"Alright, sir."

After grabbing his Firebolt, Harry rushed outside. He had been flying only three days ago, but to him, it had felt like much longer. Harry kicked off the ground with a loud whoop of delight. He madly swerved in and out of the trees while trying to avoid hitting the branches or trunks. Harry figured that he needed all the practice he could get since the Tournament had cancelled Quidditch all last year.

Harry was concentrating so hard on his difficult maneuvers that he was totally unprepared for the sudden excruciating pain that exploded from his scar. Harry forgot that he was speeding through the air as he let go of the broom with both hands to clasp his forehead. His body weight shifted on the handle as he let out a piercing scream and quickly fell. Once Harry hit the ground hard, his head banged against the dirt and caused him to lose consciousness.

* * *

Harry could feel someone gently examining his body. He wondered what was going on at first, but his aches were swift to remind him of his fall. Harry vaguely realized that he was lying on something soft, so he obviously wasn't outside anymore. He struggled to open up his eyes; he had to tell Dumbledore about why he had fallen.

Harry was able to spot the Headmaster after his eyes had adjusted to the dim light in the room. He was surprised to see that Dumbledore's eyes were a little red. Once the Headmaster had spotted that Harry was awake, his face brightened a bit and he gave Harry a quick, gentle hug.

"Harry, I'm glad that you are okay. I was worried that you had been severely injured. I have examined you myself, however. You only have a few bumps and bruises, but you should heal pretty soon. The worst injury was the blow to your head, but I have a few potions for you to take that will help you," Dumbledore said.

Harry tried to croak out a response, but his dry throat wouldn't allow him to say anything understandable. Dumbledore, realizing Harry's predicament, hurriedly grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table. The Headmaster supported Harry's head while Harry eagerly gulped down several swallows of the cool, fresh drink.

"Did you get the potions from Professor Snape?" Harry finally asked.

"No. I tried to get a hold of him, but he wasn't at his house or Hogwarts. It is a good thing that I have the supplies to heal you," Dumbledore responded as he handed Harry the potions.

Harry grimaced as one potion after another went down his throat. After a while, the pain had dimmed, and Harry gave a sigh of relief. He glanced over at the Headmaster and noticed the look of guilt that had settled on Dumbledore's face.

"Sir, what's wrong?" questioned Harry.

Dumbledore reached a hand over and softly ran it through Harry's hair. Harry leaned into the comforting touch and closed his eyes. He loved the feelings that came from just receiving some simple physical contact.

"Harry, I'm sorry. You were injured flying this morning, but I didn't realize that anything was wrong with you until I found you in the forest just a few moments ago…"

Harry's eyes opened startled at that pronouncement. "This morning? How long have I been out?"

"It is now nine o'clock at night. I was so busy working, that I worked right through lunch and supper. I didn't realize how late it was. Once I figured out the time, I noticed that you hadn't come in. I didn't think that you had been flying all of this time, so I got worried that something had happened. I tried to call you, but you weren't able to respond. I finally found you a few feet into the forest," Dumbledore quietly replied.

"Professor, don't blame yourself. This couldn't have been prevented. While I was flying, my scar started hurting really bad. I don't know why it happened. That's what caused me to fall though," Harry answered.

Dumbledore straightened up a little startled at the announcement. "Did you have a vision?"

"No, my scar just hurt. I wasn't able to tell what Voldemort was feeling either."

"How do you feel now? Does anything still hurt?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm still a little sore," said Harry.

Their conversation was cut off when they heard someone calling in the living room. Dumbledore went and opened the door to tell Snape where they were. Snape soon hurriedly entered the room. He glanced oddly at Harry lying in the bed before turning his attention to Dumbledore.

"Albus, the Dark Lord just had a Death Eater meeting. He has some of the Death Eaters attacking the Ministry of Magic right now. He didn't send everyone. The Dark Lord said that he would call the rest of us back later for a more important mission. I think that the attack on the Ministry is just a diversion, but I don't know what the rest of his plans are. You need to gather the Order members that Black has talked to and be ready to fight."

Harry and Dumbledore stared at Snape after hearing the bad news. Voldemort wasn't going to play around anymore; he was ready to show the world his power.

"Is there anything else to report to me?" Dumbledore questioned.

"He held me back after everyone else left, but it was only to ask about the potions that I'm supposed to be brewing. He only talked to me for a few minutes, and then I Apparated home before Flooing here."

Dumbledore hesitantly glanced at Harry. Harry could tell that the Headmaster needed to go, but he knew that Dumbledore didn't want to leave him alone after he had gotten hurt.

"I'll be fine by myself, sir. You're needed at the Ministry. I understand," Harry said.

Snape curiously looked between the two of them. "Did something happen today?"

"Harry fell off of his broom after feeling pain in his scar. He was knocked unconscious," explained Dumbledore.

"I have some potions…"

"That won't be necessary, Severus. I have already given some to Harry," Dumbledore replied. He then turned to Harry. "I'm sorry that I have to leave, Harry, but I will try to be back soon."

As Dumbledore was turning to leave, Snape spoke up. "If you want, Albus, I can stay here with Potter until the Dark Lord calls the Death Eaters back. It could be a while."

Dumbledore lips curved into a small smile. "I would like that, Severus. Harry, please try to go to sleep soon. You didn't sleep any last night after the nightmare, and you've been unconscious all day. I'm sure that your body needs the rest. Goodbye."

Once Dumbledore had left, Snape and Harry looked at each other. Sure they had been alone together at Hogwarts, but they had been busy making potions then. They weren't really sure what to do now.

"I don't really want to go to sleep yet," Harry said. "Professor, would you mind playing some chess with me? I'm not very good, but it will give us something to do."

"Alright, Potter," Snape replied as he grabbed the chess set and a chair. The chair was placed beside the bed while the chess set was precariously balanced on Harry legs.

There was silence in the room except when one of them would call out their move. Even though they had been a little uncomfortable around each other at first, they began to relax and feel more at ease. They were startled when they heard a voice saying Harry's name. Harry, his face brightening once he realized what was going on, reached over onto the bedside table and picked up the mirror.

"Hey, Sirius. How are you doing?"

"Hello. Is Dumbledore there?" Sirius asked.

"No, he had to leave. Did you hear about the Death Eaters attacking the Ministry? Is that why you wanted him?"

Sirius looked a little distracted when he replied. "Did he leave you there alone?"

Harry realized that Sirius hadn't answered any of his questions, but he figured that Sirius must have had something important on his mind. Maybe something else had happened besides the Death Eater attack.

"Professor Snape is here with me for a little while. When Professor Dumbledore gets back, I'll tell him that you wanted to talk to him," said Harry.

"No, that's alright. I think that we will be seeing each other soon," Sirius answered before disappearing.

Harry's brow furrowed as he continued to gaze at the mirror. He slowly turned to the table and set the mirror down on the surface. When he glanced back over at Snape, he realized that the man had been watching and listening to everything that had been going on.

"I guess something important came up," Harry lamely said.

Snape remained silent. He continued to stare at Harry for a few seconds before they returned to their chess game. Once Snape had won the game, Harry began to yawn.

Snape stood up from the chair. "I will let you go to sleep now. If you need me, I will be in the living room reading."

Harry wanted to stay up and wait for Dumbledore to come back with news, but he didn't know when the Headmaster would return. Harry felt like he didn't have any energy left in him. He gave a sleepy nod before snuggling under the covers and closing his eyes.

Harry was just beginning to doze off when he heard someone Floo into the house. He figured that Dumbledore must have finally made it home. Harry slowly pulled the covers off of his body as he stumbled towards his bedroom door.

As Harry neared the door, he heard a quiet voice and then a loud thump like something had hit the floor hard. Harry didn't know what was going on in the living room, but he didn't think that it was going to turn out to be anything good. With his heart rapidly pounding, Harry peeked out of his bedroom and down the hall.

"Professor?" Harry softly said. He knew that it was probably stupid to announce his presence in the house if something bad was happening, but he wanted to know if Snape was okay.

The house remained silent. Harry was beginning to grow more nervous as time went on. He started to quietly walk down the hallway while avoiding any of the creaking floor boards. Harry considered turning back, but he decided that he had already come this far.

As Harry walked into the living room, three Death Eaters emerged from the shadows. Harry tried to run back to his bedroom, but he was feeling weak and the Death Eaters were too fast for him. A spell quickly hit Harry in the back, and Harry was once again unconscious.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: JK Rowling created Harry Potter. I'm only using them to suit my purposes for a while.

A/N: Thanks to my all of my reviewers.

Congratulations to TheGoldenSeraphim for correctly guessing what was going on with Sirius!

* * *

Harry didn't know what was going on, but he suddenly felt his body being jolted back to consciousness. His eyes flew open as he tried to find out where he was. Just as Harry remembered the Death Eaters capturing him, his gaze fell upon Voldemort. Harry was lying on the floor in the middle of the room. A few Death Eaters stood silently while Voldemort continued to smirk down upon Harry.

Harry, realizing his vulnerable position, tried to quickly sit up. The Death Eaters continued to watch his every movement making sure that he wasn't able to escape them like he had during the Tournament. Harry looked around trying to find out where Snape was, but he didn't see his teacher anywhere in the room.

"Hello, Harry. Welcome to my home," Voldemort said.

"Where is Professor Snape?" Harry questioned.

"You will see him again before you die, but for right now, you don't need to worry about that traitor," answered Voldemort with a sneer.

"Why don't you just kill me now? Are you afraid?" Harry taunted. "You have tried to kill me several times already, but as everyone can see, you have failed in that mission. I don't know why you still have followers since you can't even kill me."

A dark looked passed over Voldemort's face as his eyes narrowed and his mouth scowled. A few of the Death Eaters shuffled uncomfortably at hearing Harry talk back to their master. They were afraid that Voldemort's anger and rage could transfer over to them at any moment.

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you. You are trapped and outnumbered. No one knows that you are here. The old fool that you were staying with is currently occupied with my followers at the Ministry. He won't know that you are gone until it is too late. Even if he did realize it within the next few hours, he wouldn't be able to find you. Not even my Death Eaters know the exact location of this place. They just Apparate to me by using the Dark Mark. Plus, this manor has wards surrounding it which won't let anyone enter or leave without my permission. You won't be leaving here alive," Voldemort replied with a confident tone.

During Voldemort's speech, Harry began to feel that his situation was hopeless. He tried not to let Voldemort see him nervous and scared; however, he wasn't sure that he would be able to keep up a neutral expression for long.

"So the attack on the Ministry was only a diversion to get me?" Harry asked while trying to keep Voldemort's attention diverted from his true feelings.

Voldemort exaggeratingly clapped his hands a few times. "You caught me. I knew that I would have a harder time getting you if Dumbledore was around. He stupidly fell into my plan, however."

Voldemort suddenly snapped his fingers and two of the Death Eaters came forward while taking a vice grip on both of Harry's arms. They dragged him over to Voldemort and awaited further instructions.

"I have a mystery guest who is dying to see you. While I wait for my Death Eaters to return from the Ministry, you will get to visit with him. When my all of my followers are here, I will show my mighty power to them by killing you."

Voldemort waved a hand in dismissal and turned his back on Harry. Harry struggled to keep his footing as the Death Eaters walked towards the dungeons at a fast pace while maintaining a firm hold on his arms. A feeling of dread welled up in his stomach as Harry neared a solitary cell. The heavy door was pulled open with a creak, and Harry was thrown into the room.

After the door clanged shut, Harry sat up with a wince and looked around. The small amount of light that filtered in through the barred window in the door allowed Harry to ascertain that there wasn't any furniture in the room. Dirt and grime stained the walls and floors. Harry was able to make out a figure huddled on the other side of the room. As Harry hesitantly began walking over to the person, the body turned around and Harry realized who it was.

Sirius had a shocked look on his face before rushing over to Harry eagerly. Harry took a few steps back at the sudden movement and held up his hand to stop Sirius. Sirius, puzzled by Harry's actions, abruptly stopped and slowly lowered his outstretched arms to his side.

"Harry, I don't know how you got to be here, but why are you afraid of me?" Sirius asked.

Harry had a determined look in his eyes. "If you really are Sirius, you should be able to easily answer a few questions for me. How did you escape from Hogwarts my third year after you were captured? Where did you end up hiding during my fourth year?"

Sirius dutifully answered Harry's questions. "You and Hermione helped me escape on the hippogriff Buckbeak. During your fourth year, I hid in a cave by Hogsmeade. You, Ron, and Hermione visited me. I told you that I had been eating rats after you brought me food to eat. Does that satisfy you?"

A relieved look passed over Harry's face. He rushed over to his godfather and threw his arms around him. Sirius also wrapped his arms around Harry, and the two stood that way for a few moments in silence. Harry finally pulled away a little bit to look at Sirius's face. Sirius had cuts and bruises all around his face. His hair was tangled and littered with dirt.

"I'm sorry that I was suspicious of you, but I thought that I had been talking to you through the mirror. I had to make sure that it was really you. Who was impersonating you in the mirror?" Harry curiously asked.

Sirius's happy face quickly changed; he looked like he wanted to kill someone. "That traitor stole my mirror and took some of my hair to use for Polyjuice Potion. That rat is the one that has been talking to you. When I get my hands on him…"

Harry couldn't believe that he had been talking to Pettigrew all those times through the mirror. He didn't think that he had told Pettigrew anything that could be used against him, but it still made him sick to think that he hadn't figured out that anything was wrong. He knew that 'Sirius' had been acting strange, yet he kept passing it off.

"Sirius, would you tell me how you ended up here?" asked Harry as Sirius steered him over to the wall. They sat down beside each other and leaned back.

"I was accosted while leaving Arabella's. Voldemort must have had some Death Eaters still watching over your house in the hopes that you would show up. They recognized me in my dog form and kidnapped me. I was brought here, and they tortured me for a while thinking that I would let some information slip about you."

Sirius paused when he saw Harry shiver in disgust. Sirius put his arm over Harry's shoulders before continuing his tale. "When they saw that I wasn't going to talk, Voldemort had them give me Veritaserum. They found out about you staying with Albus, and they heard about Snape being a traitor."

Harry jumped when he heard that piece of information. He had heard Voldemort call Snape a traitor earlier, but it hadn't really sunk in at the time. He had been more worried about whether he was going to die or not.

"If Voldemort knew that Professor Snape was a traitor, why did he let him live?"

"I don't know, but there is more to my story. I think they believed that I knew exactly where you were hiding. They were going to get the information from me, and then Pettigrew was going to show up at your house looking like me. They would have taken you then. The only problem is that I didn't know how to get to you. When they emptied my pockets, they found the mirror. Pettigrew recognized it and the plans were changed. He became me in order to talk to you through the mirror."

Harry hesitated before beginning to speak. His voice was filled with guilt and shame. "I saw you being brought here by the Death Eaters in one of my visions. I didn't realize that it was real though because Professor Snape said he hadn't been called, and then I had talked to you through the mirror…"

Sirius put a finger over Harry's mouth to stop him from rambling. "Harry, I don't blame you for what happened, so please don't feel guilty. Did you see them hurting me?"

"No. I woke up before then."

Sirius and Harry's conversation was cut off as the door opened again and another person was hurled into the room. Harry raced over to the figure when he recognized Snape. His professor groaned as Harry gently turned him over.

"Professor! Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay to you, Potter?" Snape coughed out.

"Sir, what happened while you were in the living room? I heard someone Floo in, and then I heard something hit the floor. I guess that was you," Harry replied.

Snape slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. Harry wanted to help his teacher, but he wasn't sure if Snape would appreciate that. Snape's breathing quickened as he forced himself to move over to a wall and relax against it. He didn't respond to Harry right away. Once his breathing had returned to normal, Snape turned to face Harry while ignoring Sirius. Sirius was surprisingly quiet during the whole ordeal.

"I was reading a Potion's novel when flames erupted in the fireplace," Snape explained. "I looked up expecting Albus, but I saw several Death Eaters stepping out. I tried to reach for the wand in my pocket; they were able to quickly overcome me, however. I woke up here, and the Death Eaters were eager to punish me for betraying them. The Dark Lord enjoyed watching that."

"I guess you don't still have your wand with you,"stated Harry.

"No, Potter, I don't," Snape wearily answered.

"I don't have mine either. When I went to see what was going on in the living room, I left it in my bedroom."

Snape looked at him incredulously. "You knew that something was wrong in the house, and yet you didn't think to bring your wand with you?"

"Hey, even if I had grabbed it, the Death Eaters would have taken it away from me after I was stunned," Harry defensively answered.

Once again the door was thrown open and several Death Eaters were framed in the doorway by the light. Harry shrunk away from the figures, and the men began laughing at Harry's movement. Sirius growled at the Death Eaters while Snape was glaring at them. When one of the men started to step forward towards Harry, Sirius and Snape tried to prevent Harry from being grabbed. The other Death Eaters were quick to stop them by using force.

"The Dark Lord is awaiting your presence," announced the Death Eater who had a hold of Harry. Harry, Sirius, and Snape were dragged out of the cell and marched up the stairs towards their doom.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: This story is only based on characters from JK Rowling's magnum opus a.k.a. the Harry Potter series.

A/N: My story has almost reached the conclusion. By my calculations, there should be approximately three chapters left (more or less). I'm glad that you have been enjoying my story. Thanks for my reviewers.

* * *

Here is what happened at the end of the last chapter:

_Once again the door was thrown open and several Death Eaters were framed in the doorway by the light. Harry shrank away from the figures, and the men began laughing at Harry's movement. Sirius growled at the Death Eaters while Snape was glaring at them. When one of the men started to step forward towards Harry, Sirius and Snape tried to prevent Harry from being grabbed. The other Death Eaters were quick to stop them by using force._

"_The Dark Lord is awaiting your presence," announced the Death Eater who had a hold of Harry. Harry, Sirius, and Snape were dragged out of the cell and marched up the stairs towards their doom_.

* * *

Earlier that night:

After hearing Snape's report and saying goodbye to Harry, Dumbledore Flooed to Grimmauld Place. The house was supposed to be used by the Order members once Sirius had contacted everyone; however, Dumbledore knew that the house would be needed sooner than intended. Dumbledore pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote a few words on it.

_Your presence is urgently needed at #12 Grimmauld Place. Death Eaters are attacking the Ministry. It is time for the Phoenix to rise from the ashes._

_-A.D._

After the words had been written on the parchment, they slowly began to disappear. The message would be sent to the Order members that Sirius had been in contact with. Sirius had given them a similar parchment that would show any message that Dumbledore needed to send to them.

Within a few moments, the front door had opened and people began to stream in. The Order members exchanged a few pleasantries before settling down in the living room. Dumbledore walked up to the front of the room and cleared his throat. The room was instantly silent as everyone waited to hear what they would have to do.

"As I said in my message, the Ministry is currently being attacked. We need to go over there and stop the Death Eaters. The Aurors are going to need some help. I have already been in contact with Severus, and he believes that the attack is just a diversion. We will need to be prepared to leave the Ministry on a moment's notice if we receive word about what else Voldemort is doing. Any questions?"

"How many Death Eaters are at the Ministry?" Mr. Weasley questioned.

"I'm not sure, but I do know that some of them have been kept behind for another task," answered Dumbledore. "When we get to the Ministry, I want everyone to stay fairly close together. Everyone needs to be in visual sight of each other so we can be somewhat safer and in communication. I will shoot up red sparks if something occurs and we need to leave. Let's go."

Once Dumbledore had finished his speech, everyone headed back to the front door. Wands were pulled out as each person got prepared for the battle ahead.

"On the count of three, we will all Apparate together. Good luck. One…two…three."

Loud popping sounds erupted throughout the quiet night as each person left Grimmauld Place and arrived inside the Ministry. There were scorch marks on the walls from wayward spells, and the statues in the water fountain were scattered all over the floor. The Death Eaters were already viciously fighting with the Aurors, but the Aurors looked like they needed some help.

The Order members immediately entered into the brawl. Death Eaters began to split up as one group fought the Aurors, and the other group turned to the newcomers. Spells rapidly flew back and forth as both sides were determined to win.

Dumbledore's power radiated off him in waves. The Death Eaters tried to take him out first, but the Headmaster was able to defend himself and hit some of the Death Eaters with Stunners.

While the Light side tried to disarm or stun the Death Eaters, the Death Eaters were more ruthless. They had no qualms in using Dark Spells or the Unforgivables. Many of the Light side were able to duck under those spells and remain alive. So far, only two Aurors had been killed, yet none of the Order members had been.

The fight went on for about an hour before Dumbledore realized that a stone in his pocket had been steadily growing warmer. Dumbledore knew what the warmth meant, and he realized that the Order members needed to leave the Ministry right then. Before he was able to round them up, the Death Eaters stopped fighting and then Disapparted. Everyone that was left looked around puzzled. The Order members gathered around Dumbledore when he quickly waved them over.

"We need to leave now. We have to find Harry."

* * *

Currently:

The Death Eaters holding Harry were roughly dragging him down a hallway towards a door. When Harry entered and looked around, he saw that the Death Eaters were surrounding the room with Voldemort standing at the center. Harry was shoved down at Voldemort's feet while Sirius and Snape continued to be held by Death Eaters a few feet away.

"Now that all of my followers are here, they will finally get to see your downfall," Voldemort sneered while avidly staring at Harry.

Harry didn't see how they would be able to get out of this situation, but he knew that it would probably be better to stall Voldemort as long as he could. Harry hoped that luck would be able to save him today like it always had in the past.

"How were you able to find me?" Harry asked. He knew that Voldemort liked to talk, so he hoped that this question would get him to open up. "Only three people know how to get to Professor Dumbledore's house."

A gleam entered Voldemort's eyes as he turned to Snape. "I knew that you had betrayed me, Severus. You fooled me at first when you came to me after I got my body back, but I figured it out after a while. I didn't do anything about it because I knew that you would come in handy someday."

Snape's face remained impassive as he continued to look into Voldemort's eyes. The Death Eaters in the room shifted uneasily as they learned about Snape's betrayal. Some of them glared in Snape's direction and tightened the grip on their wands.

"I made sure that you weren't involved in or aware of any of my big plans. I told you just enough so that you could take the information back to Dumbledore, and I wanted it to look like I still believed you to be faithful. Only a few Death Eaters that I selected were told about your betrayal. When Black told me that you knew where Potter was hidden, I formed a plan to capture Potter. After the meeting that I held this earlier, I asked you to stay behind. Do you remember?"

Snape did not say a word, but Voldemort didn't expect him to.

"While I was talking to you, I had some of my followers go to your house. They were there when you Flooed over to Dumbledore's house. They heard the password, and then they came back to me. I gave Dumbledore enough time to leave the house and head to the Ministry to stop my Death Eaters from attacking, and then I sent those loyal followers after you and Potter. My plan is almost complete, and there isn't anything that anyone can do to stop me…"

Voldemort was cut off as a piercing shriek cut through the air. Harry quickly placed his hands over his ears as he tried to muffle some of the sound. Voldemort was looking around surprised by what was going on. He waved his wand rapidly in the air, stopping the loud noise.

"Crabbe, Goyle, someone is trying to get through the wards. I want you to go find out who it is. Do not let yourselves be seen, and do not attack them. Report back to me immediately. If you are not back here in ten minutes, you will be punished," Voldemort threatened.

The two Death Eaters bowed down at Voldemort's feet before scurrying out of the room. Harry glanced over at Snape and Sirius to see if they had any idea about what was going on. Sirius gave him a weak smile while Snape's eyes roved around the room looking for some kind of escape.

There was silence in the room as everyone waited to hear the news. Voldemort calmly stood around while smirking at one of his prisoners every now and then. Harry slowly began to pull himself into a standing position once he realized that no one was going to stop him. His movements drew the eyes of everyone in the room, but Harry ignored their gazes.

Crabbe and Goyle finally stumbled back into the room. They bowed down to Voldemort again before standing up to give their report.

"Well?" Voldemort impatiently asked.

"Dumbledore is here with a large group of people. They are attacking the wards, but they aren't having any luck getting in," Goyle responded.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't know how they were able to find this place, but we will deal with them later. Right now, I'm going to finish what I started thirteen years ago."

As Voldemort started towards Harry, Sirius and Snape were able to fight off the Death Eaters holding them. They began running at Harry, but before they were able to reach him, Voldemort had thrown a spell at them. They were flown backwards and chained to the wall.

"You will not interfere with this. I have been waiting a long time to do it. Once I have finished with Potter, you will have your turn," Voldemort said.

All eyes were turned towards the center of the room as Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at Harry. Harry boldly stared into Voldemort's eyes and stood up as straight as he could.

"You may be able to kill me, but there will always be someone to oppose you."

"I know there will be, but I will always be prepared to defeat them. Goodbye, Potter. Avada Kedavra."

Harry helplessly watched as the green light sped towards him. He didn't have any time to think as the spell suddenly slammed into his chest.

* * *

A/N: Aren't I evil to leave it there? Don't worry about Harry. I love him too much to kill him off. 


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and related characters were created by JK Rowling.

A/N: Sometimes you people make me laugh. I read the reviews for the last chapter, and some of them were pretty funny. Anyway, I have about one or two chapters left. Not sure exactly. Keep in mind when you read these last few chapters that this story is an AU after fourth year. My story does not have anything to do with the prophecy or the Horcruxes. Thanks to my reviewers.

* * *

Curtains hung around one of the beds in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. Sirius tried to break through them in order to be near his godson, but Madam Pomfrey had apparently spelled them shut along with putting up Silencing Spells. Sirius was frustrated that no one would tell him what was going on. He paced quickly back and forth as he waited for Madam Pomfrey's diagnosis.

Snape was standing in the corner talking with Dumbledore. He was telling the Headmaster about everything that had going on in the past few hours. Every now and then, Snape would look over at the curtains; however, he tried to accomplish this as discreetly as possible. It wouldn't do for everyone to realize that he was actually worried about the boy.

Finally, Madam Pomfrey emerged from the curtains and allowed the three men in the Hospital Wing to scurry over to Harry's bedside. When they got there, they stopped in their tracks and stared at the body. Harry's face had paled dramatically, and his hair was lying limply against his scalp. He looked very different from the mischievous, happy boy that he normally was.

"What did you find out?"

"Why wouldn't you let us in there?"

"What's going on?"

Madam Pomfrey stopped the tirade by forcibly opening Sirius and Snape's mouths and pouring potions down their throats. They had been hurt while trying to escape Voldemort's lair, but it was nothing that was going to be life threatening. Sirius sputtered and gagged as the foul potions entered his mouth, but he choked the concoctions down when he spotted Madam Pomfrey glaring in his direction.

Tension filled the Hospital Wing as Madam Pomfrey rushed about trying to take care of her patients. She attempted to get Sirius and Snape to lie down, but they were only concerned about the person lying motionlessly on one of the beds. They refused to leave Harry's side. Madam Pomfrey eventually gave up her efforts and walked back to her office once Dumbledore gently grabbed her by the elbow and steered her away.

Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey quietly conversed in her office while Sirius and Snape remained staring down at Harry. Sirius, beginning to feel weak with fatigue and fright, flopped down in a chair that was sitting beside the bed. Snape wordlessly did the same on the other side of Harry's still form. Sirius slowly reached over and lightly picked up one of Harry's hands. Harry's body was starting to feel a little bit cold, and Sirius's eyes began to fill up with tears.

Dumbledore eventually came back over to where the two men were gathered. The Hospital Wing was empty except for them. All of the Aurors or Order members that had been hurt were being cared for at St. Mungos. Harry had been brought back to Hogwarts in order to have some privacy.

Snape looked up when Dumbledore came over to the bedside, but Sirius continued to gaze at his godson's face. All three men had solemn looks on their faces. Dumbledore glanced sadly at Harry before turning his attention to Sirius and Snape.

"Harry is not dead…" Dumbledore began to speak, but he was cut off when Sirius's head snapped up and he ran over to the Headmaster. Snape remained sitting, but he had a puzzled look on his face. Sirius had strongly grabbed the front of Dumbledore's robes in his clenched fists.

"How can you say that?" Sirius demanded. "He was hit with the Killing Curse. His hands are ice cold, and his body looks like it is deteriorating. Why are you…"

Sirius's voice trailed off when his body collapsed on the floor. Snape reluctantly came over to help Dumbledore lift him back into the chair. Madam Pomfrey, hearing the commotion, started to come back into the Hospital Wing, but she left when Dumbledore waved her off.

Once Sirius was seated, Dumbledore waited for him to calm down so that he could listen rationally to what he was being told. Dumbledore knew that the news was shocking, but Sirius needed to be calm for Harry's sake. Snape had quickly backed away once Sirius was seated, and he turned towards the Headmaster in order to hear the rest of the news.

"Sirius, I know what this looks like; however, you must believe that I am telling you the truth. Harry is not dead yet, but he will be if something does not happen soon."

* * *

Harry slowly became aware of his surroundings. He looked around, but all he was able to see was a dense gray fog. Harry strained his eyes in order to try and locate anything; however, he eventually gave up the task as being hopeless.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Harry called out.

Silence was the only response that Harry received. Harry didn't know where he was or what was going on. He hoped that he would be able to leave this creepy place soon. He didn't like being alone here. Since Harry didn't want to stay in the area any longer than necessary, he began to walk in a random direction, hoping to find his way out of the fog.

As Harry walked, the fog began to grow thinner. Harry was able to make out a shape in the distance. The shape started to become clearer and larger the more he walked. Once Harry realized that he was seeing Hogwarts, he began to run towards the building. He was ecstatic that he was finally somewhere that he recognized and loved.

Harry walked into the Entrance Hall and stopped for a second. Hogwarts seemed to be empty of people; however, Harry could feel a faint tug that was pulling him in a certain direction. He decided to follow the pull and see what he found. The pull became stronger the farther he walked, and he began to see the faint outline of a black string that was coming out of his chest and going in the same direction that he was walking. Curious, Harry continued following the string which was turning more solid each step he took.

He wasn't sure exactly where he would end up, but he knew that he had to follow the string. Harry didn't know what would be at the end of the string; however, he realized that he had to find out.

Harry's footsteps wound up taking him into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He hesitated for a second before hissing at the sinks to open. The black string led down into the dark tunnel. As Harry followed the path of the string with his eyes, he was able to make out a green glow surrounding the string. The glow reminded Harry of the Killing Curse.

Throwing his legs over the side of the tunnel, Harry found himself sliding down under the school. His legs buckled once he landed, but he quickly righted his body and took off again. Harry continued to wander in the direction of the greenish-black string, and he soon ended up in front of the door to the Chamber of Secrets. Harry had a moment of apprehension about opening the door, but he hurriedly put it aside as he once again used Parseltongue.

Upon entering the Chamber, Harry saw that the string led towards the back of the huge room; however, the back wall was now a dark void. Harry stopped walking after he had taken a few steps into the room. He was able to feel Voldemort's emotions: anger, pain, hate. Harry couldn't tell exactly what Voldemort was thinking, but he was able to tell once the wizard had spotted his presence.

Those emotions that Voldemort had been feeling quickly intensified. Voldemort began to use all of his power to try to draw Harry farther into the room and towards the dark void. Harry found himself unconsciously taking a few steps forward.

'No. I don't want to go down there. I'm afraid of what will happen if I do. I'm pretty sure that if Voldemort manages to bring me towards him that I will die. I don't want to die. I want to see Sirius and Professor Dumbledore again,' Harry thought.

Once Harry's thoughts turned toward Sirius and the Headmaster, the pull Harry had felt wasn't as strong. Thinking about Sirius and Dumbledore caused love to blossom in his body. Thoughts of the Weasleys and Hermione soon followed. Harry realized that even Snape had popped into his head. He didn't know exactly how he felt towards the man, but he knew that he respected him and cared about him. Soon, Harry began to remember all of the people that he cared for, and he allowed those strong emotions to flow through him.

Harry could feel Voldemort's frustration at not being able to bring Harry towards him. As Harry concentrated on his feelings of love and caring, he closed his eyes. He wasn't able to see when the green glow began to move away from his body and towards the dark void at the other end of the room.

The string started to become thinner. Harry's list of friends and family grew as he thought about his parents, Remus, and his dorm mates. Harry didn't remember his parents very well, but he had heard some stories about them, and he still cared about them in a way. Voldemort's shrieking filled the room as the green glow vanished into the void, and the string began to become dimmer. Harry ignored Voldemort as he threw every ounce of his being into feeling love. As those feelings began to peak, Harry felt the string break, and Voldemort's screams were immediately silenced.

* * *

A/N: I hope that this last part hasn't confused you. Everything will be explained in the next chapter. 


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and friends.

A/N: I wanted to put the explanation of what happened between Harry and Voldemort in this chapter, but that has been pushed back into the next chapter. Oh, well. That just means that at least there will be another chapter or two before the end. Thanks to my reviewers.

* * *

Harry had been in the Hospital Wing unconscious for three days. His vitals had improved, but he still hadn't woken up. Sirius was currently sleeping in his dog form at the foot of Harry's bed while Dumbledore was sitting in a chair beside the bed answering the many letters he had received. Madame Pomfrey would check on Harry every now and then, and Snape was busy making potions to help Harry heal.

Harry slowly fought his way to consciousness. His eyes cracked open as he blinked them a few times to clear his vision. Harry gradually raised his head off the pillow in order to look around and figure out where he was. He was able to watch Sirius and Dumbledore unobserved for a few minutes. They hadn't realized that Harry had finally awoken. When Harry tried to pull his body up with his weak arms, he caught the attention of the Headmaster and Sirius.

Sirius's head quickly jerked up when he felt the bed covers being pulled out from under his body. He gazed at Harry for a moment before jumping out of bed and changing into a human while in midair. Sirius rushed over to Harry's side and grabbed him in a bone crushing hug. Harry allowed his head to be buried in Sirius's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around his godfather.

Once Dumbledore had noticed that Harry was awake, he moved the letters that he had been working on over to the table. The twinkle that had been absent in his eyes for the past few days had finally returned. He had to patiently wait his turn to greet Harry as Sirius didn't seem to want to let Harry go any time soon.

After sitting silently for a while, Dumbledore decided to speak up. "Sirius, you might want to let Harry breathe for a little bit."

Sirius looked up horrified and quickly backed up. "I'm so sorry, Harry. Did I hurt you? I was just so happy to know that you were awake. We have been so worried about you…"

A small smile spread on Harry's face. Harry's voice was a little hoarse when he responded. "Don't worry about it. You didn't hurt me, Sirius."

Dumbledore came over and gently gave Harry a hug. Once he had pulled back, he poured Harry a glass of cold water. Harry greedily slurped down the refreshing drink as it helped to soothe his throat. He handed the glass back to the Headmaster after he had finished drinking and slumped back on the pillows with a sigh.

"How did I end up here? The last thing that I remember is that we were stuck in Voldemort's lair with no way out and the Order members couldn't get in." Harry paused for a moment before his eyes grew wide in remembrance. "How did I manage to survive the Killing Curse again? That shouldn't have been possible."

Dumbledore and Sirius exchanged a quick glance before Dumbledore started to speak. "I know that you have a lot of questions, but I think that all of this should wait for a little while. Madam Pomfrey is going to want to examine you now that you are awake, and you should probably go to sleep soon."

"But I don't want to go to sleep. I just woke up," Harry argued.

"Harry, you've been in a coma-like state for a few days now. You need to rest. I promise that I will explain everything to you later," Dumbledore replied.

Their conversation was cut short when Madam Pomfrey walked into the ward. She was looking at Harry's chart as she was walking down the aisle towards Harry, so she didn't notice that her patient was sitting up and awake.

"I think that Harry should wake up pretty soon. His heart rate is steady and strong, and he is looking a lot healthier than before…"

She stopped talking once she looked up and noticed that Harry was looking at her amusedly. She jumped a little in surprise and gasped out loud before picking up the chart that she had dropped and then rushing over to Harry's bedside. Madam Pomfrey began quickly running her wand over Harry's body and reading the data that was being magically added to the chart.

"You should have alerted me as soon as he woke up," Madam Pomfrey sternly told Sirius and Dumbledore. "How can I take care of my patients if I don't know everything that is going on with them?"

Madam Pomfrey's voice softened as she looked at Harry. "I'm glad that you are awake now, Mr. Potter. You are healing very nicely. You will have to stay here for a few more days, however, just so that I can observe you and make sure that you have a full recovery."

Harry rolled his eyes at that statement and gave a loud exaggerated sigh. Sirius and Dumbledore laughed at Harry's antics while Madam Pomfrey couldn't help but smile a bit.

Madam Pomfrey went over to one of the cabinets and pulled out several vials filled with colorful potions. She floated them over to a table beside Harry's bed. She managed to catch the disgusted look that Harry made once he saw how many potions he would have to take. The stern face was back as she handed the first vial to Harry.

"You can make all of the faces that you want, but you have to take every single one of these potions, Mr. Potter."

After Harry had taken the last potion, his eyes drooped closed and the vial slipped from his fingers. Dumbledore was quick to catch the vial as Sirius settled Harry back into a reclining position while tucking the covers tightly around him.

Madam Pomfrey collected the empty vials and took them over to the sink. Once she had accomplished that task, she walked back into her office and shut the door. Dumbledore smoothed the hair away from Harry's forehead before looking over at Sirius.

"I'm going to go tell Severus that Harry has finally woken up. I don't think that he wants anyone to see it, but he's been worried about Harry too. We could probably all use some rest after all of this," Dumbledore said before walking out the door.

Sirius sat down in the chair that the Headmaster had vacated. He stared at Harry as if he couldn't believe what had happened in the past hour. He was afraid that if he went to sleep everything would turn out to have been a dream. Sirius grabbed one of Harry's hands in his own before slowly closing his eyes and allowing sleep to claim him once more.

* * *

Harry loved his godfather, but he was afraid that he would go crazy from having Sirius hovering over him all of the time. Whenever Harry had wanted to get up and go to the bathroom earlier, Sirius had wanted to pick him up and carry him to the bathroom. Harry had argued that he had to get up and move around at some point in time. Sirius would have kept arguing with Harry about the topic except for the fact that Harry ignored his godfather's protests while beginning to climb out of the bed. Sirius had been instantly by his side trying to decide whether he should allow Harry to try to walk by himself or give him a helping hand. Sirius finally decided to just follow Harry and give assistance when needed. Fortunately for Harry, he had been able to make it across the room by only needing his godfather's help twice.

Harry had already consumed a light lunch and taken a short nap. He was beginning to tire of being in the Hospital Wing. Sirius was trying to keep Harry entertained by telling him stories from his Marauder days at Hogwarts and the pranks that they had played on everyone. Harry enjoyed hearing stories about his father, and his stomach was beginning to hurt from laughing so much at everything his godfather was telling him.

When Harry began to have a little trouble breathing after hearing so many stories, Sirius immediately stopped talking and hurried over to Harry's side. Harry had to take deep breaths in order to calm himself down.

"Harry, are you okay? I didn't mean for this to happen. I just wanted to..."

Harry tried to tell Sirius that he was okay, but Sirius didn't seem to be listening. Snape had entered the room with a box of freshly brewed potions while Sirius was apologizing to Harry. Harry threw a pleading look at the Potions Master. Snape seemed to understand what Harry wanted because he gave him a slight nod.

"Black, why don't you make yourself useful and go find something for Potter to do? I'm sure that he doesn't want to hear your incessant prattle all day. Why don't you go to the library and find him something to read?"

Sirius turned to Snape and gave him a dark look. Sirius was about to argue with Snape, but Harry intervened.

"He's right, Sirius," Harry said. He quickly continued speaking at Sirius's hurt look. "Not about me not wanting to listen to you talk, but about you finding me a book to read. I can read while you take a break. You've been very helpful to me all day, but I'm sure that you need to rest a bit. Please do this for me, Sirius."

Sirius finally relented when he heard Harry pleading. "Okay, but I'll be back as soon as I can."

Once Sirius had left, Harry turned to Snape. "Thanks for helping me, Professor. I love Sirius, but his constant hovering was starting to get on my nerves."

"Your welcome, Potter," Snape replied.

Snape went over to the potions cabinet and began emptying the contents of his box into it. The Hospital Wing was quiet as Snape and Harry stayed silent for a few minutes. When Snape had finished his task, he walked over to Harry's bed and stood scrutinizing Harry's appearance. Harry felt a little bit uncomfortable having Snape staring at him, but he figured that this was the first time that the man had seen him since he was awake.

"Are you in any pain?" Snape suddenly questioned. "There are some potions that I just brought up that could help you if you are."

"I feel fine. I've been a little more tired than I usually am, but other than that, I'm okay."

"That's good," answered Snape.

"I've been meaning to ask. How are you feeling? You were in a lot of pain while we were held captive," Harry said.

"It wasn't anything that a few potions couldn't fix."

Harry hesitated before asking the question that he had been wondering about since he woke up. He finally decided that he needed to know even though he was afraid of what the answer might be. "Professor, what happened to Voldemort?"

Snape looked carefully at Harry as he answered. "You defeated him. He will not be coming back this time."

Harry's mouth fell open at the news. He could feel a few tears of happiness welling up in his eyes, but he refused to allow them to fall. Voldemort would never be able to ruin his life again. He didn't have to worry any more about when Voldemort might try to attack him.

"How did that happen?" Harry finally questioned.

"I believe that Albus wants to be the one to explain everything to you. He said that he will meet with you tonight if you feel up to it," Snape responded.

"Would you just answer one thing for me, please? How do you know that he won't be able to come back again? He was able to return before when most everyone thought that he was gone for good."

Wordlessly, Snape rolled up the sleeve of his left arm. Harry gazed astonished at the smooth clear skin. The Dark Mark was not there.

"When he vanished the first time, the Mark became very dim; however, if you looked really closely at it, you would be able to tell where it was. I was always aware that he would come back because I could faintly still feel his evil. All of that is gone now," replied Snape.

Harry and Snape looked at each other in understanding. Both had been marked by Voldemort, so they knew a little bit about what the other person was going through.

Snape gazed over at the door. "I need to return to my dungeons now. I don't want to be here when the mutt finally returns."

"Thanks for everything, Professor."

Snape nodded in acknowledgement before heading out the door.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I never created Harry Potter. That would be JK Rowling's forte.

A/N: A lot of people didn't understand how Harry could have defeated Voldemort. For reference, it happened at the end of chapter 19. Dumbledore will explain everything to Harry in this chapter. If you don't remember chapter 19, I have put an excerpt from it below.

* * *

End of chapter 19:

_Harry could feel Voldemort's frustration at not being able to bring Harry towards him. As Harry concentrated on his feelings of love and caring, he closed his eyes. He wasn't able to see when the green glow began to move away from his body and towards the dark void at the other end of the room. _

_The string started to become thinner. Harry's list of friends and family grew as he thought about his parents, Remus, and his dorm mates. Harry didn't remember his parents very well, but he had heard some stories about them, and he still cared about them in a way. Voldemort's shrieking filled the room as the green glow vanished into the void, and the string began to become dimmer. Harry ignored Voldemort as he threw every ounce of his being into feeling love. As those feelings began to peak, Harry felt the string break, and Voldemort's screams were immediately silenced_.

Now, here's chapter 21.

* * *

After Harry had rested, Sirius walked with him to Dumbledore's office. Sirius made sure that Harry was settled comfortably in a chair before turning around and leaving Harry alone with the Headmaster. Harry was finally going to hear Dumbledore's explanation for everything that had happened lately.

Dumbledore walked out from behind his desk and conjured a chair so that he could sit beside Harry. Before sitting in the chair, Dumbledore gently pulled Harry into a hug which Harry quickly returned. After holding each other for a few moments, Dumbledore broke away and sat down. He scanned Harry's body with his eyes trying to decide whether Harry was better or not.

"How are you feeling, Harry?"

"I'm doing much better, sir. I'll be glad when I can leave the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey and Sirius are driving me crazy," explained Harry.

Dumbledore let out a soft chuckle before his face turned serious. "I believe you know why I have called you here. I want to tell you and show you about these past few days. I have put some of my memories in my Pensieve. After we get done watching them, I will explain everything and make it clearer for you."

Harry glanced over at Dumbledore's desk and realized that the Pensieve was sitting there innocently. He stood up when he noticed the Headmaster moving over to the desk. Dumbledore motioned for Harry to go first, so Harry took a deep breath before plunging his face into the silvery liquid.

_The first thing that Harry saw was the quick Order meeting that was held at Grimmauld Place. After the meeting had ended, the scene rapidly shifted to the fight at the Ministry. Harry saw how bravely the Order members and Aurors fought. He was awed by the amount of power that the Headmaster displayed, even though he was getting older. Harry paid particular attention once the Death Eaters had Disapparated, and the Order members were somehow able to realize he was missing and locate Voldemort's hiding spot. Harry made a mental note to ask Dumbledore later how they had been able to find him._

_The Order members Apparated in front of a dilapidated, old building. Harry hadn't seen the outside of the building that he had been held prisoner in; however, he realized that this was the place where Voldemort had been residing. The Order members hurriedly tried to dismantle the wards that covered the building, but they weren't able to even make a dent in them. Even with Dumbledore's strong displays of power, the wards still held._

_A few hours passed before the wards suddenly disappeared in an instant. The Order members dropped their wands in surprise for a few moments and carefully listened, but the only thing that they could hear was silence. They quickly raised their wands and cautiously entered the building._

_Once inside the building, frantic shouts could be heard. Something major seemed to be going on in the center of the building. The Order slowly made their way towards the sounds until they were standing in front of a set of huge double doors which were shut. Dumbledore turned around, making sure that everyone was ready for another fight, before throwing the doors open with a bang._

_The Order was met with pandemonium. Death Eaters were running around the room trying to escape the Order members. A few of the Death Eaters looked up once the doors had opened, but most were too busy trying to leave the building. Dumbledore gave the signal for everyone to attack, so they quickly went into action battling the Death Eaters which remained. _

_While Dumbledore was fighting with the Death Eaters, he worriedly looked around for Harry, Sirius, and Snape. He hoped that they were alive and wouldn't be hurt in the chaos. The Headmaster was finally able to spot a tuft of messy black hair lying on the floor while glancing between the mass of fighting bodies._

_The Order was quickly able to stun the few remaining Death Eaters that hadn't managed to escape. Once the last Death Eater had fallen, Dumbledore hurriedly ran over to Harry's still body. He gasped upon seeing the motionless form._

"_Hey, get us down from here."_

_Dumbledore's head shot up and looked over at the two people stuck to the wall with chains. He waved his wand in their direction, and they unceremoniously fell to the floor. Snape took a moment to pull himself together, but Sirius was up in a heartbeat and rushed over to check on his godson. His eyes misted upon seeing Harry._

"_Harry, I can't believe that this happened. I was supposed to help protect you. That's part of my job as being your godfather. I failed you."_

_The Headmaster looked away from the touching scene in order to give Sirius some privacy. His eyes widened when his gaze fell upon the form of Lord Voldemort lying on the floor a few feet from Harry. Dumbledore slowly walked over to the body and bent down to examine it. He put two fingers against the neck of Voldemort's body, and after a few painstaking moments, he was able to feel a very faint pulse. Dumbledore quickly bound the body before heading back to Harry._

_Snape was currently standing silently beside Sirius while Sirius was kneeling on the floor cradling Harry's limp body in his arms. Dumbledore put his hand on Sirius's shoulder causing Sirius to glance mournfully upwards._

"_Sirius, I need you to lay Harry down for a second, all right?" Dumbledore gently asked._

_Sirius, too stunned to process what the Headmaster had said, turned his gaze back to Harry. Dumbledore tenderly grabbed Harry's body and tried to easily remove him from Sirius's arms. Sirius resisted for a few seconds, but he felt too weak to put up much of a fight. The Headmaster slowly lowered Harry back to the floor. He put his fingers to Harry's neck and was able to again feel a weak pulse. His heart soared as he pulled out his wand and cast a few spells over the body._

_When Dumbledore looked back over at Snape's puzzled expression, a smile broke out on his face._

"_Albus, what is going on?" questioned Snape._

"_It seems that Harry is still alive."_

_Sirius jumped up and grabbed the front of the Headmaster's robes and searched his eyes desperately._

"_How is that possible? He was hit by the Killing Curse. Surviving it once was a miracle enough."_

"_I have a few theories, but there isn't enough time to go into it now. We need to take Harry to the Hospital Wing."_

_Sirius picked up Harry's body and carried it out of the building before Disapparating. Dumbledore stayed for a few more moments in order to oversee the removal of the Death Eaters. Apparently someone in the Order had contacted the Ministry already because several Aurors had shown up._

_The next few scenes that Harry saw were himself in the Hospital Wing. Sirius stayed by his side for most of the time while Dumbledore and Snape irregularly marched in and out. Madam Pomfrey kept giving him potions and performing spells over his body. _

Harry felt himself being pulled out of the Pensieve by his elbow. Dumbledore carefully led him back to the chairs and lightly pushed him back down onto one of them.

"I'm sure that you have a lot of questions regarding what you just saw. I will try to answer all of them to the best of my ability," Dumbledore said.

"I guess that I'll start at the beginning. How did you know that I was in danger?" asked Harry. "You told the Order members after the Death Eaters left the Ministry that you had to find me."

"I had put a charm on the mirror that Sirius gave you. The charm would inform me when you would leave my house. The charm would not go off if I had given you permission to be in a certain area; however, if you left that area, I would have become aware of it. When the Death Eaters kidnapped you from my house, the stone that I had in my pocket grew hot warning me that you were missing. I had also put a locator spell on the mirror. I was able to find out where you had been taken, but we were unable to get to you because of the wards."

"Why didn't you tell me about all of this?" Harry asked, a little bit upset that Dumbledore hadn't told him about the spells.

"I figured that you wouldn't want me to do the spells because you might see it as an invasion of privacy. I'm sorry that I didn't say anything about it before, but it did save your life. We were able to find you and be there once the wards fell," explained Dumbledore.

Harry could see the Headmaster's point, but he was still slightly miffed about not knowing all of this earlier. He decided that he should just continue asking questions. "How was I able to survive the Killing Curse?"

"You and I have always known that you had a connection to Voldemort, but I never guessed how deep that connection ran. When you were hit with the Killing Curse, it tried to kill Voldemort as well through the connection. Since he wasn't the one hit and he didn't receive the full blast of it from you, he continued to live. Because he didn't die and you were connected to him, you continued to live as well. You were both barely hanging onto life, though. The Curse was slowly draining you both. If you hadn't broken the connection, you and Voldemort would have eventually died."

Harry looked startled at the revelation. He slowly began to speak. "While I was unconscious, I remember a dream I was having. I guess that it wasn't really a dream, however. I was wandering through Hogwarts following a black thread that took me to the Chamber of Secrets. There was a green glow on the thread. Voldemort tried to get me to come towards him, but I was able to use my love of my friends and family in order to send the green light towards him and break the thread."

Dumbledore appeared thoughtful for a moment before answering. "The thread must have been your connection to Voldemort. The green glow was the Killing Curse. Voldemort cannot stand emotions like love. When you thought about love, it sent all of the Curse towards Voldemort and was able to break the connection between the two of you. Since the connection was broken and the Killing Curse was no longer in your body, you were able to wake up and get stronger again. Voldemort, however, was killed."

"Where is Voldemort's body now? Where was it while he was still alive but unconscious?"

"Voldemort was taken to a secure Ministry holding area. The people that guarded him were somewhat aware of the situation. They knew enough to tell me everything that was going on with Voldemort's body such as whether he was getting better or worse. When you woke up, we found out that Voldemort had died. His body has been destroyed since then. He will no longer be able to return to his body or anyone else's."

Harry took a few minutes to close his eyes and revel in his new freedom. Snape had told him that Voldemort was gone, but hearing Dumbledore fully explain everything made believing it a lot easier.

"Why did the wards fall and allow you to come into the building?" Harry finally asked.

"The wards had been partially tied to Voldemort. Once he had been knocked unconscious, he wasn't strong enough to keep the wards intact," responded Dumbledore.

"I can't believe that this has finally happened," Harry dazedly said. "Voldemort has been a big part of my life for the past few years. I don't have to worry about him anymore."

Dumbledore silently put his hand on Harry's knee offering comfort and support. They were content to just quietly rest in each other's presence for a little while and enjoy this moment of peace.

* * *

A/N: I hope that everything was sufficiently explained in this chapter. If you are still confused about something or if I have forgotten to explain something, please send me a review and ask. The next chapter will most likely be the last one (I think that I've said that for the last couple of chapters, but I'm almost 100 percentsure this time). Thanks to all of my reviewers. 


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling.

A/N: Well, the end is finally here. I am glad that so many of you have enjoyed my story. I would like to thank all of the people that reviewed, especially those who did so several times; however, you are all appreciated. I may or may not write another story now that this one is finished. If I did write another one, though, it would probably not be until this summer. Thanks again.

* * *

Harry was wandering around the grounds of Hogwarts. Dumbledore was busy working, while Sirius had gone to Grimmauld Place for the morning in order to make the house more habitable for humans to live in. Snape was busily brewing potions down in his dungeons, and Harry decided that he didn't feel like interrupting the man. Madam Pomfrey had declared Harry well enough to leave the Hospital Wing that morning, so he was content to just take a leisurely walk outside.

Plopping down on a rock beside the lake and crossing his legs beneath him, Harry leaned against a tree and rested his eyes for a moment. Dumbledore would be finishing all of his work at some point today, but Harry didn't know whether Dumbledore would be taking Harry with him or whether he would be allowed to go with Sirius. Harry hadn't been able to spend much time with Sirius this summer, but he didn't want the Headmaster's feelings to be hurt by leaving him alone. Earlier in the summer, Dumbledore had said that he would be able to stay at Grimmauld Place; however, he didn't know if the Headmaster would allow him to go with Sirius now, and Harry wasn't even sure how long he would be able to stay with Sirius.

Letting out a loud sigh, Harry eventually pulled his body up from his comfortable position on the ground. Since he was going to be leaving that evening, he decided that it would probably be polite to go say goodbye to Snape now. Harry hoped that the Potions Master didn't mind him coming down right now, and he hoped that his teacher wasn't too busy. He turned towards the doors of the school and began walking over to them.

Once Harry had trailed down to the dungeons and stood in front of the potions lab, he raised his hand and lightly knocked on the door. After hearing a faint voice telling him to enter, Harry pushed the door open and walked over to the professor. Snape was putting the finishing touches on one of his potions, so Harry stayed silent until Snape was done adding the last ingredient. The Potions Master took the cauldron off the fire before turning to Harry.

"Hi, Professor," greeted Harry.

"Hello, Potter. What brings you down here?"

"I'm leaving Hogwarts tonight, so I just thought that I would come say goodbye to you now," Harry replied.

Snape looked surprised for a second that Harry had wanted to tell him goodbye. He was quickly able to get his emotions back under control. "Will you be staying with Black now?"

"I don't know yet. Professor Dumbledore hasn't said anything about it. He's been working a lot."

"Are you fully recovered from your injuries now?" Snape inquired.

"I was just released from the Infirmary this morning. I've been feeling good for a while though," answered Harry.

"Have you read any of the newspapers lately? They are all raving about you and how you defeated the Dark Lord. I imagine that they will soon be adding some new nicknames to your long repertoire," Snape smirked. "It is quite sickening actually."

Harry groaned. "Great. Now I'll never be normal."

Snape ignored Harry's words. "Before you know it, you will be the "Destroyer of You-Know-Who" or the "Boy-Who-Still-Lives" or the-"

Harry began to laugh. "Okay, okay. You can stop now. I get the picture."

After Harry stopped laughing, there was a comfortable silence in the dungeons for a few minutes. Snape hesitantly began to speak after a moment. "If you don't have anything to do right now, you can help me make a few more potions. All you would have to do would be to read the instructions to me. These potions are fairly new, so I am not all that familiar with the procedures yet."

Harry gave a small smile. "I don't mind helping you. It's been a little boring around here this morning by myself."

Snape silently handed Harry the book before walking over to the ingredients cupboard. Harry spent the afternoon calling out ingredients and instructions while Snape would follow Harry's directions. Harry had never liked making potions before, but not having his teacher insulting him all of the time caused him to enjoy it more.

After working together for a few hours, Harry said goodbye to Snape one more time before heading up to Dumbledore's office. He figured that the Headmaster should have had enough time to finish all of his work by now. Upon entering the office, Dumbledore brightened up at seeing Harry, and Fawkes flew over to greet him.

"Have a seat, Harry. There are a few things that we must discuss before we leave," Dumbledore said.

Harry sat down across from the Headmaster and waited to hear what his plans would be for the rest of the summer.

"You will be able to go stay with Sirius this summer, but it will have to wait for a few more days. He wants to finish fixing up the house first before you come over, and he wanted to decorate a room just for you to have when you stay there," explained Dumbledore.

Harry relaxed when he heard the news. He was glad that he would be able to spend some time with his godfather.

"How long will I be staying there?" questioned Harry.

"Sirius and I have talked about it, and you will stay there for two weeks right now. If you want to stay there longer, however, I will understand."

"No, that's okay, sir. I've loved staying with you this summer, and if you don't mind, I want to spend some more time at your house."

Dumbledore gave Harry a gentle smile. "I'm glad that you feel that way. During the first week of your stay with Sirius, it will be just the two of you. During the second week, however, Ron and Hermione will be permitted to stay at Grimmauld Place as well. You will come back to my house after those two weeks, but you will still be able to stay with Sirius at Grimmauld Place at any point in time after that. You will also be allowed to owl your friends once again, and you can visit each other several times before school starts."

Throughout Dumbledore's speech, Harry kept getting more and more excited. This was some of the best news that he had heard in a long time. Even though it had been great staying with the Headmaster for the first part of the summer, he had still felt slightly alienated from his friends.

"Thank you very much, Professor. This really means a lot to me," Harry gratefully replied.

"You are quite welcome, Harry. I'm sorry that you weren't able to do all of this before," responded Dumbledore.

"That's okay, sir. This summer has had some rough times, but overall, it's been pretty good. Are we about ready to leave?" asked Harry.

"Almost. I just have a few other things to talk to you about. I don't know if you are aware or not, but Peter Pettigrew was not one of the Death Eaters that were captured the night that the Order members and I came to rescue you. Because of that, Sirius still has to hide from the Ministry. Since your family members are gone and Sirius is hiding, I was wondering if you would allow me to have guardianship of you," Dumbledore said.

Harry sat back against his chair stunned at what he was hearing. Dumbledore had taken him into his house and taken care of him, but guardianship was more stable and permanent than all of that.

Dumbledore continued speaking. "Even if Peter had been caught and Sirius had been freed, I still would have wanted to be your guardian, but I wouldn't have stood in Sirius's way. I don't want you to think that I am only doing this because there is no other option. I would have done it before now; however, no one was supposed to know that you were staying with me while Voldemort was still alive. Now that he is dead, though, I can be your guardian if you want me to."

The Headmaster quit speaking so that he could hear Harry's response. Harry continued to sit in silence for a few more seconds before running over to Dumbledore and throwing his arms around him. Even though he was surprised at Harry's reaction, the Headmaster quickly engulfed Harry in a hug.

"Having a family was one of the things that I have wanted ever since I was younger. I would love for you to be my guardian," Harry replied once he had pulled back from the hug a bit and looked Dumbledore in the eye.

"Thank you, Harry. We will go to the Ministry soon and sign all of the required papers."

Harry smiled for a bit before a thought caused his smile to falter. "What will Sirius think? I don't want him to feel hurt that we're doing this."

"I have already spoken to Sirius about all of this. He was very glad that you had someone to take care of you since he can't. He just wants you to be safe and happy," replied Dumbledore.

Harry felt relieved that everything seemed to working out perfectly for him. He released the Headmaster and stepped back when Dumbledore began to stand up. Dumbledore walked over to the fireplace and took the jar of Floo powder off of the mantle. He held the open jar out to Harry.

"Come on, Harry. Let's go home."

**

* * *

The End**


End file.
